AS recently as 2022, the Cavan hurlers finished dead last in Division 3B and by its very definition were the lowest-ranked team in Ireland.

So the very fact that they’re set to field in the newly instated Division Three is a testament of their progress in recent seasons under their manager Ollie Bellew, who returned to the Cavan role at the start of 2023 after a year’s absence.

Last season, they finished in top-half of Division 3A, ensuring their spot in Division Three, and they get their campaign underway away to Mayo this weekend, one of only two sides they lost to in last year’s league (the other being Sligo).

They’ve a daunting enough schedule but if they maintain their high standards, there’s no reason why they can’t hold their own so Antrim native Bellew is excited about the road ahead.

Bellew said: “It’s great for us, when I came back in we were bottom of the lowest division and now we have effectively climbed two tiers.

“It’s a bit daunting in theory that we have to go to places like London and Mayo to face teams we traditionally wouldn’t have seen, but when we set out on the start of this journey, this is where we wanted to be.

“So there’s no real apprehension among us, we want to climb the ladder as high as we can. Last year in Division 3A, the talk on the outside was about survival and whatever else.

“We ended up in a league semi-final and I think we could’ve done even better and reached the final. We wouldn’t have been surprised if we’d ended up in that position to be honest with you.”

Bellew recognises the importance of not standing still so he says he’s keen to give newer members of the panel their chance to impress during their forthcoming league campaign.

He also said that they’re keen to pace themselves and got back to training a little later than previous years, partially because of the success of East Cavan Gaels, who made the Ulster Junior final where they came up short against Ballinascreen.

“I don’t think we really timed it as well as we could last year, I thought we were a bit tired and leggy midway through the championship. We started back a bit later and we’ve played more championship games and we’re enjoying it more. East Cavan Gaels going on a run in the Ulster Championship is another contributing factor as to why we started later.”

He continued: “We’ve tried out a few of the younger boys in challenge matches and you should see one or two of those lads during the league campaign as we go along.

“I suppose we’re trying to sustain our place in the third division but like every team we’ve one eye further down the line on the championship as well.

“Still, we’ll use the league as opportunity to try out some of the younger fellas and see how they fit into the system.”