Search icon

GAA

18th Oct 2022

Sean Cavanagh takes aim in damning Munster football championship rant

Lee Costello

“It’s lunacy.”

Former Tyrone captain Sean Cavanagh didn’t hold back when he was asked to share his thoughts on the Munster provincial football championship.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s ‘Saturday Sport’ show, when discussing the draw for next season’s provincial campaigns, the three-time All-Ireland winner didn’t seem too excited about the competitions outside of Ulster.

“I kinda laugh at the Munster football championship,” said Cavanagh.

Sean Cavanagh Championship

“It’s lunacy, really. There’s no team going to win it outside of Kerry, really, at this stage. You’ve got three evenly-matched Division 2 teams that are probably all going to hope to stay in Division 2 and the right side of the Sam Maguire.

“The relevance of the Munster championship is fairly insignificant in terms of the greater championship.”

Cavanagh’s thoughts on the Connacht championship were equally as damming.

Sean Cavanagh Championship

“It highlights the madness of this provisional system as well that we’re now talking about Division 4 teams going to be guaranteed a place in the Sam Maguire Cup while there are a stack of Division 2 teams, some of them top provincial teams, that are more than likely going to miss out at this stage.

“The system is a crazy one.”

Normally the provincial draw is relatively boring, not least because it’s such a long wait before the championship actually starts that it’s hard to get excited about it.

Sean Cavanagh Championship

However, the Tyrone legend was in the sort of fiery form that made for entertaining listening and even talked about some private conversations he had with his former colleague Colm O’Rourke.

The ex-RTÉ pundit has now taken the mantle as Meath manager and with an impressive backroom team behind him, he has made it clear to the media that their aim is to compete with Dublin.

“I often had that conversation with Colm in studio behind the scenes,” explain Cavanagh.

 “He wasn’t that confident before he took the job. I know he has to be positive. I personally do feel they’re still a long way off.”

Related links.

The top lines that GAA managers have said.

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10