For the last five years Michael Hannon has been one of Drumgoon and Cavan's leading lights but 2006 could see him shining even more Things really couldn't have went much more swimmingly for Drumgoon and Cavan star Michael Hannon than they did in 2005. During the course of the past year, his star shot skyward like a rocket launched at Halloween time from the garden of his Bailieboro Road home just outside Cootehill. In 2005 the turbo-charged defender featured in all of Cavan's challenge games, national league and championship matches at senior level and shone in each of them. Of course, some clouds did pin themselves onto the silver lining that was '05 in July/August for Michael but at a mature 22 years of age, he wasn't unduly perturbed. For instance, he suffered some textbook mental anguish as Cavan exited the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers at the hands of Mayo in a dogged, dour, duel in Roscommon. One week later, physical pain was the name of the game for the eager-beaver back as he cried off after just two minutes of Drumgoon's SFC clash with Crosserlough. "Whatever about the result against Mayo, the hamstring injury that ended my short spell on the pitch in Breffni wasn't such a major shock because it was on the cards. "I twinged the hamstring on the Tuesday leading into the Crosserlough game and even by the following Friday, it didn't feel so great. "I'd been on the go, more or less, non-stop from October 2004 'till the Crosserlough game in August last year so my body was telling me something," Michael opines. But that wasn't the end of Michael's season however for just around the corner following the SFC was the Under 21 championship and outings with St. Finbarr's. As things panned out, Michael and co. lost out to would-be champions Cavan Gaels at the penultimate round right at the tail end of the season in December! Add in all the action with club and county plus that at college level with Dublin Institute of Technology (where he is studying Media and Arts) and the word 'hectic' cries out. But, predictably, Michael wouldn't have it any other way, saying it would be worse, far worse if he wasn't picked for any of the multitude of teams or games he angles in on. Incredibly, 2005 marked the fourth year that Michael has been involved with the Cavan senior squad, having been called-up shortly after coming out of minor ranks. He cut his teeth at senior inter-county level with Mattie Kerrigan in 2002 and he's hardly had time to look back ever since. "At the start of 2005 I set out to focus on trying limit my involvement with the college and make the breakthrough with the county seniors so, in that respect, I'm happy. And so he should be for the Drumgoon dynamo proceeded in 2005 to establish himself as one of the Breffni Blues' most tenacious, determined and all-action defenders. Bedding down a starting-place on Cavan's premier team was the fulfillment of a long-held dream of course but one which arrived in a slow-burner type of way. Fact is, Michael had made his senior inter-county debut back in 2003 in dramatic, unforeseen, yet unforgettable circumstances in Navan. Michael was warming the subs' bench when Peter Reilly damaged his cruciate ligament just 12 minutes into the SFC qualifiers with Louth, giving him a real baptism of fire. The game in Navan was a torrid affair with both sides more perspiration than inspiration and both struggling to come back off the ropes after provincial championship losses "It was a battle between two teams down on their luck at that stage; we were on a bad run but so were they and the standard of football on the day reflected that." Michael says the step up from club level to the inter-county stage was significant but if he felt the Louth match was a testing affair, he was almost bowled over later on: "The pace of the Louth game was quick but nowhere near as quick as the Tyrone game in the Ulster championship, the drawn game. "Tyrone are a class apart compared to Louth and they've raised the bar a lot in so many ways; playing them was a real eye-opener. "The players' running-off-the-ball makes it hard to keep tabs on them and you don't really appreciate how good their forwards are until you come up directly against them. "I had to mark Enda McGinley in the drawn game and he pulled me all over the field, operating as a third midfielder. "Against him (McGinley) I ran more in that game than I did in all the games before that in the national league!" But as if being asked to police the aforementioned McGinley wasn't enough, Michael was later tasked with marking the would-be 2005 Player of the Year Stephen O'Neill. "I had to keep track of him in the replay and it was a bit like going from the frying pan into the fire," the Drumgoon parishioner admitted. "I had earlier been marking Martin Penrose and then I was switched onto O'Neill about five minutes before half-time but I didn't know what I was letting myself in for. "In the first five minutes after the start of the second half, he scored three points - one of them after selling me a dummy - and was playing at the top of his game. "He's (O'Neill) up there with the best forwards that I've faced so far; he makes really intelligent runs and his marksmanship makes up for any lack of speed he might have." Michael is at pains to talk up the Cavan set-up at the merest invitation and he believes that while there is some leeway for the county to make up, it's very manageable. "There is a gap between Armagh and Tyrone and the rest of the counties in Ulster but I think the media has exaggerated the size of the gap. "Both teams have some great players but when you play against some of them a few times at county and college levels, you can see they're only human too." At times though, Michael has been required to take on board a less than humane workload between college life, club and county football commitments. Michael has been based in Dublin for the last five years and for a large part of that time he has been commuting home at least twice per week to keep his career on track. "The travelling is gruelling at times but you don't really think much about it until the summer comes around and you realise just how much more time you have," he says. And yet for all the demands on him, close observers of the club and county scenes will tell you that our man Hannon has been an ever-present at official get-togethers. Drumgoon gaels will tell you, for instance, that the only time Michael has been marked absent from duty has been when he's been crocked. Thankfully the number of times Michael has been sidelined because of injuries have been few and far between over the years although shin splints/fractures have arisen. Son of former Laragh star Michael Hannon snr. and younger brother of Colm (with whom he lined up alongside on the county under 21 team of 2000), Michael has caught the eye on the football field from way back yonder when he earned the first of a raft of underage medals with Drumgoon. A member of the landmark St. Aidan's Comprehensive School, Cootehill team (2000) which won the prestigious Ulster Markey Cup competition, the strapping six foot-plus defender fingers the defeat suffered by Drumgoon in the Ulster IFC club final to Monaghan side Sean McDermotts as his biggest disappointment to date. "Losing the Junior championship final to Cornafean was bad but losing the Ulster final was probably worse because nobody performed that day in Clontibret. "I didn't think there was any way we were going to lose that because of our form going into the match but we never got up and running and never looked like winning. "I think we had gone 21 championship matches without losing and seeing that run come to an end was very disappointing too." Meanwhile in terms of highs, Michael admits that the joy he experienced in 2001 when Drumgoon lifted the JFC title by beating Kildallan is hard to beat. "I remember Eddie Jackson's goal was crucial in the game and really put us out of sight. "In a lot of ways, winning the intermediate championship the following year came our way easier than the junior championship win. "We were really on a roll by the time Denn came around in the intermediate final and the same effort wasn't needed to win the intermediate, in my book at least." And now the club has an historic SFC title in sight. "That will take some effort," Michael warns. "The senior championship is a whole different level altogether. "I'm not sure that all the fellas realise the sort of effort that is needed to win the senior championship. "But we have easily enough talent at present to compete for second slot with Mullahoran and Gowna but the Gaels are that bit ahead of the rest of us as things stand. "With no injuries and a full team, I'd fancy our chances against either Mullahoran or Gowna any day but the whole team has to step up to the plate this year." All gaels in Drumgoon are doubtless looking forward to Michael setting the menu in the coming weeks. Tweet

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