Andrew Nelligan is optimistic about the future of the Cavan senior hurlers as he explains to Coilin Duffy. There are only three clubs - Mullahoran, Ballymachugh and Woodford Gaels but we are coming on well," Nelligan said. "Two years ago we hadn't won a game, but this year we won a game in the league and came close in two others." Nelligan is a Cavan Gaels clubman and boasts Cavan football star Seanie Johnston among his friends and clubmates. However the Cavan footballers and hurlers are Worlds apart and while the thousands converged on Casement Park and Kingspan Breffni Park for Cavan's Ulster Senior Football Championship games this Summer, in contrast scarcely 100 hundred paying customers were present when Cavan faced Monaghan in the Ulster SHC in May. "In the Ulster Championship we only lost by two points to Monaghan - we are making good strides now and hopefully with a new GPA programme for hurlers in weaker counties, we will make even more progress." It was a heartbreaking defeat according to Nelligan. "We were devastated - Monaghan scored 1-2 in extra time and beat us by two points and it was the most horrible feeling I've ever experienced after a game," he said. "It would have been nice to win that game in Breffni Park. History was made - it was our first Championship game ever; but hopefully next year we will come through and beat Monaghan in the first round." Andrew and his Cavan team-mates are involved with the new GPA Hurling Twinning Programme which pairs Liam McCarthy Cup counties, with their hurling brethren in the 'weaker counties' taking part in the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups. Cavan are paired with Waterford, and Nelligan is exited with this development. "It's very exciting and a great idea for a programme," he said. In terms of promotion of hurling in Cavan at present, Nelligan is delighted that strides are being made to promote the sport in the Breffni County at juvenile level. "There is a lot of work being done at underage level and there are seven or eight teams in the Under 14 grade at present," he said. "They have just employed a hurling development officer in St. Pat's secondary school in Cavan town also, so hopefully that will be a major help." St. Pat's are a strong football school who have consistently challenged for MacRory and Hogan Cup Senior A Colleges football titles in the past. "St. Pat's would be a football stronghold, very much like the rest of the county but hopefully with Brendan Sweeney in place he'll bring hurling along." Last Summer the Ulster Senior Hurling Championship was opened up to all counties in the province and London, but despite this Nelligan concedes a lot of work still needs to be done to bridge the gap between counties of a similar standard to Cavan, and the Antrim's, Down's and Derry's of this World. "It's a great competition. For a while there was only a handful of counties involved but hopefully now with all Ulster counties included, that bit of experience will reduced the deficit," Nelligan said. Despite playing in a county firmly dominated by football, Nelligan's major grá is for the small ball code, and why not. His Cork heritage ensures his love of hurling, with his parents from the Rebel County - where he spent many a Summer pucking around the ball with his cousins. "My parents are from Cork so I've always had an interest in hurling. I was asked into the county panel and I said I'd give it a go and hopefully get a few games, and it's developed from there." But Nelligan recalls his limited hurling experience within the Cavan boundaries as he grew up in the Breffni County. "There was no hurling at all. I can only remember one hurling training session in school. Terry Brady came in and took us for a session," he said. And although this session was only a once-off, Nelligan immediately was fascinated with the game of hurling. "I immediately caught the bug and I wanted more," he enthused. And Nelligan confesses it's frustrating that he doesn't get more opportunities to play the game he loves. "I'm jealous of my cousins, they are from Cork. You would go down to visit them and you'd see them playing in semi-finals and finals for their clubs. You'd just wish that something like that was happening in Cavan." Many inter-county panels offer that clichéd mix of youth and experience, and this Cavan Senior hurling panel is no different according to Nelligan. "There's a good squad there at present. There are a couple of experienced lads and about four or five younger lads, showing that there is talent coming through." However he believes it will still be some time before silverware is amassed. "With regards to trophies I don't think we are at that level at the minute. Hopefully with a few more players coming through that we be challenging within the next few years." Cavan maybe among the 'weaker counties' at present but Nelligan is realistic about where his side stand in the hurling world at present. "Looking at the Ulster Championship I would say that we are on the same level as Fermanagh, Monaghan and maybe Donegal as well." Tweet

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