Champion in Cavan's cause

Gavin Cummiskey finds dual star Paul Brady in serious football mode and in no hurry to resume his heroics on the US handball circuit

Different types of pressures come with different sports. In individual sports, the competitor carries all the burden alone, while in team sports the load is shared. Only a minority of elite competitors will get the chance to experience both types of pressure but that is the destiny of Cavan footballer and handball world champion Paul Brady.

Although just 24, Brady has already carved out a decent reputation in the United States by becoming the first Irishman to win a professional tournament there; he did so in December 2002 and repeated the feat last February in Seattle.

The day job may be a source of envy to other players but come summer Cavan football gets his full attention. Luckily for him, this is the off-season in handball.

The full focus will be on Kingspan Breffni Park this coming Sunday for the Ulster championship replay against Down, and Brady hopes that campaign will demand his attention for some time to come.

"Football, in the last few weeks anyway, has become the priority. I've been lucky in the last two years that they have not clashed. I don't know what I'd do in such a scenario, to be honest."

The new Cavan manager, Eamonn Coleman, has been more than accommodating with Brady's dual career.

"I only missed the Meath match during the league, because I was over in Seattle, but it is tough enough to balance doing both. It got a bit messy at the end of the league campaign as I was burned out but I have been feeling better in recent weeks."

Preparations have improved within the panel thanks to the new training regime brought in by Coleman, the man who led Derry to an All-Ireland in 1993.

"Last year was my first year in the panel so I only have that to compare," continued Brady. "But I suppose it is totally different. As a trainer Eamonn is more aggressive. What I mean by aggressive is Eamonn has you fired up for matches and he's brought a cutting edge. The training is more intense. We trained to peak for the championship, while last year we trained hard right through."

And what of Down? Will home advantage tip the scales or did Cavan leave the chance of victory behind a fortnight ago in Casement Park when John Clarke kicked a late equalising point.

"Fair enough, we could have won that game but it easily could have gone either way. We have a lot of new players who have come in, including myself, in the last two years so we are still in a building stage."

Brady never played minor or under-21. When he reached 17, handball took over and football would take a back seat for almost five years. It was only in recent seasons that he began to play seriously again, yet within months his talent brought him back to county level.

There is another handball tournament on the US circuit in June, in Portland, but at present Brady is planning to skip it.

"Let's see what happens on Sunday. Down are a very good, very tough team. We certainly have the potential for success - let's hope it is sooner rather than later."