Under the astute guidance of team manager Tony Brady, Cavan's minors adopted a novel approach to the 2003 Ulster MFC. It was as effective as it was innovative and, ultimately, the Breffni Boys were decidedly unfortunate not to scoop a provincial title at least. While '03 probably wasn't a year to remember for Cavan football in general, the county's minors certainly succeeded in capturing the public's imagination with some eye-catching displays in the championship in particular. As a new team was effectively being built from scratch (with only one player eligible from the '02 side), it took a while to get things going. As such performances in the Ulster minor league were somewhat disappointing. What followed, however, was a major source of encouragement to all Cavan football disciples... After edging out Antrim in the first round, Cavan went into their Ulster semi-final clash with Tyrone as rank outsiders. But they took the fight to their fancied opponents and matched the O'Neill County lads in virtually every sector of the field. The Ulster semi-final went to a replay, in which the Blues were narrowly beaten. But they should - and could - have prevailed in the drawn game. In the end, it's another hard luck story: against all odds, Cavan almost won an Ulster championship but didn't get the rewards their efforts deserved. Looking back at the campaign, Tony Brady, who has stepped down after two years in charge of the county U18s, admits: "We were disappointed to lose to Tyrone as we proved we were well able to compete with them. At the same time, we're satisfied to an extent because this crop of players showed what they're capable of. "This time last year, nobody gave the county minors any hope at all but we brought the team to a level where they might even have won an All-Ireland. We were very unlucky both days against Tyrone but it just didn't happen for us. Had we got the breaks, I'm convinced that this team could have been in the shake-up for the All-Ireland." While this may sound like a lofty contention, Cavan played both Laois and Dublin during the year and were a match for both teams. The O'Moore County went on to capture All-Ireland glory, leaving the Breffni boys mulling over what might have been. Central to Cavan's exceptional effort in the 2003 MFC was the approach of the players. Management introduced a new system - borrowed from the world of business management! - never before deployed in GAA circles and this proved extremely effective. The manager explains: "We went in against Tyrone and should have beaten them. Unfortunately from a Cavan perspective, Tyrone as a county seemed to learn more from our approach that day than Cavan did. They tapped into some of our minor expertise by enlisting Bart McEnroe, and that helped them win a senior All-Ireland. Bart had been with me and the minor team for the past two years and was a massive help. It's ironic that his vision helped a county other than Cavan to win an All-Ireland but, in fairness, after our minor match, Tyrone were quick to see that he was onto something." Essentially, Tony and Bart devised a system whereby the onus was on individuals to take control of their own games ... to be introspective, examine their own game and decide where they can improve. Through this collective enhancement of each individual display, they came up with a game plan that ensured optimal performance from the team as a unit. Tony Brady, who doubled up as manager of Castlerahan in '03, continues: "As far as I'm aware, it's a new way of thinking in GAA circles. The approach is similar to that of business management, where everything is determined by the performances of individuals. In business, it's the individual who makes all the difference. We decided the same could apply to football. We let them all be individuals and then brought them all together as a team." Having used the league solely for the purpose of blooding players, Cavan opened their Ulster MFC account with a 0-11 to 1-7 defeat of Antrim at Casement Park on Sunday May 25th. Cavan were boosted by the addition of Cavan Gaels prodigy Michael Lyng to their attack and the centre forward had a massive bearing on proceedings, notching 0-6 of the winning tally. Despite the concession of an early goal, Cavan led by 0-8 to 1-2 at the interval and, after a late surge from the homesters, held out for a more comfortable victory than the final scoreline suggests. Meanwhile, Tyrone defeated defending All-Ireland champions Derry after a replay in their quarter-final and it was the O'Neill County who provided Cavan's semi-final opposition at Brewster Park on Sunday June 29th. Cavan had worked especially hard and their victory over Dublin in a challenge at Kingscourt underlined a dramatic improvement in performance, morale and fitness. Cavan put in an awesome display at the Enniskillen venue and were definitely unfortunate just to get a draw, 1-11 to 2-8. Cavan were the best team from start to finish, but somehow Tyrone stayed in touch before firing a late, late equaliser. The Breffni team was hit by an early opportunist goal but remained calm to compile a 1-6 to 1-4 half-time cushion. Full forward Peter Monaghan bagged the goal after nine minutes. Twice in the final quarter Cavan led by three points, but Tyrone closed the gap on each occasion - first with a goal and then with a late series of points, meaning the sides would have to meet again at the same venue three days later (Wednesday July 2nd). The minors represented Cavan's last hope of any success on the intercounty stage in 2003 and the prospect of facing neighbours Fermanagh in the Ulster final was indeed appetising! It just didn't happen, though. At the end of a captivating contest, Tyrone held a three-point win in their grateful claws, 1-9 to 0-9. The writing was on the wall when Cavan spurned two great goalscoring opportunities before the short whistle - including a penalty - and Tyrone led by two points at half time. Defeat was hard to stomach, as Cavan had clearly been the better team over the two games. What a pity these players didn't get to demonstrate their talent on the provincial final stage! Despite the obvious disappointment, however, it should be remembered that the Cavan minor class of 2003 succeeded in restoring some faith in the future of Breffni County GAA - in a season when all our other intercounty combos flattered only to deceive. It was an astounding accomplishment considering that Tony only had a turnover of one player from the team pipped by eventual Ulster and national champions Derry at the semi-final stage the previous year. This necessitated a new beginning in every sense of the term - indeed, three or four players who hadn't even represented the county at U16 level were introduced and acquitted themselves particularly well. Some of those players are even with Eamon Coleman's team for the impending U21 campaign. Says Tony: Of course they still have a lot of work to do but we managed to bring them along and they certainly have a chance at U21 this year if they continue to work hard." Tony predicts that 14 or 15 will come through onto this year's minor team. While admitting that he's personally disappointed not to have been given the job again, the Castlerahan man wishes new boss Donal Keoghan all the best: At the end of the day, we all want to see Cavan succeeding first and foremost, so I wish Donal and the lads all the luck in the world. It's a great squad of players and I can see them doing exceptionally well in 2004." Returning to last year, Tony started working on his team just before Christmas 2002 but it was a struggle to get the team together quickly as there was so much groundwork required in unearthing a completely new panel. "It wasn't until after we played Antrim in the first round that I could really decide on my team," he confirms. "We got the team together and came along in great strides. We did well in our challenges against the likes of Dublin and Laois, and we pushed Tyrone all the way, so it was a big disappointment not to come out of Ulster. "The Leaving Cert also worked against us in a big way and I'd like to see a break introduced to allow for that. The exams completely disrupted our preparations and made it impossible for us to have the entire team together at a crucial stage in the season." Tony also took charge of Cavan minor teams in the past and admits he's sick of the sight of bogey sides Derry and Tyrone (In the late '80s Cavan came unstuck against an Oak Leaf side that included one Anthony Tohill and 'you've guessed! ' went on to win the All-Ireland). The approach instigated by Bart McEnroe in 2003 was a huge success and the Cavan minors played an exhilarating brand of football. All in all, it was a wonderful experience for the manager, who admits he was touched when the players organised a team re-union around Christmas - indicative of the bond that exists in this squad. "There was a great spirit and the individual-come-team approach we adopted definitely worked a treat," notes the outgoing boss. "I believe Bart has an extraordinary insight into approaching the game and Cavan would do well to use his expertise." With a superb crop of players coming through, Tony says he has great hopes for the future of Cavan football, though he is concerned by the potential adverse effects of the drink culture sweeping the count(r)y. At club level, Tony Brady also managed Castlerahan in 2003. He points out: "We have an abundance of talented youths coming through. We've gone from Division Three to senior, introducing a lot of fresh talent along the way. "Castlerahan have developed a system where our U16s, minors and seniors all train together and I think this is the way forward for all clubs. There are too many individuals within every club battling for the players services, when clearly they should all work together. "There's something very positive happening in Castlerahan at the moment. There's plenty of young blood emerging and, with the correct guidance, we could be on the verge of a successful era at senior level." For the record, the Cavan minor team beaten by Tyrone after a thrilling Ulster MFC replay: David Clegg; Padraig Reilly, Ciaran Shiels, Gearoid Collins; Dermot McGlade, Dermot Sheridan, Declan McCabe; Lorcan Mulvey, Paul Brady; Anton Reilly, Michael Lyng 0-5, Ciaran Flynn 0-1; Enda Mulvey, Peter Monaghan 0-2, John McCabe 0-1. Subs: Ciaran Galligan, Paraic McKiernan, Alan Duignan, Alan Clarke. Tweet

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