Gearóid McKiernan enjoying centre stage for Cavan

Most players will tell you they’re happy to wear any number on the back of their jersey but for Gearóid McKiernan that simply isn’t true. His wearing of the Cavan number 11 jersey is one of the main reasons they’re contesting Sunday’s Division Two final of the Allianz Football League, and McKiernan can’t deny it.

“Yeah, the normal thing to say is that you’re happy as long as you’re playing,” he says. “But I definitely do enjoy centre forward. The last few games especially. I played a wee bit there last year, but only got a full run at it this year.

“It’s different. You’ve less defending to do, anyway. You’re closer to the goals and can find yourself in a wee bit more space at times and try to work off the boys.”

McKiernan has scored 1-24 in Cavan’s seven league games so far and Sunday’s final offers the chance to make amends for the defeat to Tyrone in the opening round. However, it’s 20 years since Cavan have beaten Tyrone in a competitive game.

With promotion to Division One assured after a similar 20-year absence, McKiernan wants to maintain his excellent form. In the last round against Galway, he delivered a man-of-the-match show to help claw back an early deficit.

Performance

“Like any team, the first thing you set out to do is give a performance, and let the result take care of itself. We’d like a performance and a win.

“We were probably unlucky in our first two games but we’ve put it together in the last few games. We worked on a few things, got everyone back. Myself and David [Givney] and Eugene [Keating] and big Mick Argue, so there are big men this year – that’s probably changed too.

“There are also a few smaller boys in there like Seánie [Johnston] so you can give it in high or give it in low because those boys are well capable of winning their own ball.”

Which prompts the next question: what has brought about Cavan’s attacking improvement, after years of being labelled an defensive team under Terry Hyland?

“Just the conversion rate is up, and we’re getting more chances,” says McKiernan. “Boys are also breaking with more pace. We probably were known as a defensive team in the last few years but at the minute we’re still a solid unit defensively, not conceding too many chances.”

There also that “black death” comment from a certain RTÉ pundit, although McKiernan is not about to stir that up again. “It was laughed about more than anything. You wouldn’t really pass much remark on it.”

Of course, it is a team effort. “He’s probably one of the top goalkeepers in the country the way he’s playing,” said McKiernan. “He’s brought a different dimension; he’s great under a high ball. He’s a very good goalkeeper and has made a few important saves this year, which is as important as kick-outs and frees.

“That execution has been drilled into us, but that’s up to the boys themselves as well to do extra work on their own. It’s up to us all; you can’t get all that done on the training field. Boys have taken a bit more responsibility away from the training sessions.”

Ulster championship

An Ulster championship date with Armagh looms, but having made it to Croke Park there’s no way Cavan will be holding anything back.

“Once there’s a cup at stake you still want to win it,” says McKiernan, who did beat Tyrone at under-21 level. “Hopefully we’ve caught up with them a wee bit and on Sunday we’ll be able to match them. It’s also about believing we can match Tyrone, and also to help us prepare for Armagh, which is probably the most important game at the minute.”