WHEN A VACANCY developed for the Cavan football manager role, few would have predicted where the preferred candidate would ultimately come from.
Often the jobs are assigned to those with plenty of flying miles clocked as an elite-level mentor.
This is the time of year, as the autumn leaves start to swirl about, when the fresh voices are ushered into inter-county dressing rooms. But the new face in the Cavan hotseat will be a familiar one to the Breffni squad.
Raymond Galligan, their experienced goalkeeper. Straight from the team to the chief of the backroom unit. His appointment isn’t yet written in stone and is still subject to ratification. But once that administrative step is completed, he will be the successor to Mickey Graham who has stepped down after a five-year period where he harvested Ulster glory in 2020, a Tailteann Cup final in 2022 and promotion to Division 2 earlier this year.
It’s an unusual move, but not a complete outlier. Vinny Corey became the Monaghan manager last September, just three years after his inter-county retirement. He brought his county to an All-Ireland semi-final in his first season in charge.
“Maybe it’s a trend that’s starting to develop now,” says Mickey Graham, almost two months on from his departure from the Cavan management job.
“These boys have been there, done that and know what’s required. They’re up to speed with where the game has gone and where it needs to go to.
“There’s a lot of people who were surprised by it but I think Raymond is probably coming in with a fresh pair of eyes. He’s been involved with the county team for the last 12 or 13 years. Probably one thing to his advantage is that he knows where the game is at and the standard that’s required. He’ll try to drive that on and maintain the standards that are there to bring it to another level.
“Hopefully he’s given time to try and prove himself. It’s a big ask and inter-county management is tough. But he has a good group of people around him to guide him in the right direction.”
There will be challenges for Galligan to face as manager. The biggest one is accepting that the dynamic of his relationship with men he previously called teammates will change.
One aspect of the Galligan proposal that remains unclear is whether or not the 2020 All-Star goalkeeper will continue to be Cavan’s chief net minder. All available evidence pertaining to the demands placed on inter-county managers and players would suggest he won’t. Would it even be feasible to attempt it in the modern game? It’s a long time since we’ve seen someone try to master the tricky player/manager role. And even then it was a standout.
The Cork footballers’ 1990 All-Ireland-winning captain Larry Tompkins gave it his best when he agreed to balance both with the Rebels in 1998.
He was two years deep into life as a former Cork footballer at this point, and into his second year as Cork manager. But he was still a thrilling sight with his club Castlehaven. Rumours of a possible return intensified when he made an appearance during a challenge match between Cork and Meath. His selectors at the time were Conor Counihan and Barry Murphy. They were urging him on too. And with all things aligning so well, he couldn’t deny himself a chance to wear red once more.
“I didn’t really realise that I was playing the best football of my life,” Tompkins explains.
“The club was going great, we were doing fierce well in the county championship, representing the county in Munster and going on to win the Munster championship. The selectors were saying, ‘Would you consider it?’
“That came in a conversation and with Cork, you have two dominant papers in the morning and the evening. It doesn’t leave the headlines, and there was probably a lot of pressure from that. I always had a lot of massive support from people in Cork, particularly in West Cork. There was an outcry, and between everything, I put my hands up for my last hurrah.
“We got beaten [by Kerry] in the Munster semi-final (by three points) and we were very unlucky. It just didn’t work out and we probably would have won the Munster final. And then it would have been a dream to play an All-Ireland semi-final against my own county, Kildare. It wasn’t to happen, but I don’t regret my decision. It’s an absolute honour.
“If I went back and didn’t have a go, I’d be telling you a different story about why didn’t I do it?”
Football was straight knockout back then, meaning Tompkins’ player/manager experiment was a brief one. He was still the manager at certain times but he delegated much of the work to his selectors on matchdays, empowering them fully to make decisions on the sideline while he played.
In his autobiography, Tompkins stated that “effectively, I was just another player. If I wasn’t performing, I expected to be taken off, the same as anybody else.”
However, that was in the ’90s, when backroom teams were trim and tight. Managers must now turn to crafts and industries of all forms for added expertise. Galligan has assembled an impressive crew for the Cavan gig. Among the lot are All-Ireland-winning Meath ladies boss Eamon Murray, who joins as his assistant manager.
Former Tyrone ace Stephen O’Neill is coming on board as a forwards coach. Galligan is also drafting in the services of four-time world cross country silver medallist Catherina McKiernan to work with the players as a life coach.
“It all depends on himself and how well he thinks he’s doing and if he thinks he’s good enough and competitive enough to be in goal,” says Tompkins about whether or not it would be wise for Galligan to continue playing while managing Cavan.
“I suppose taking the role as manager, it’s probably better to leave his playing days off and just have a cut off it, just playing with his club and managing the county team.
“He can bring in a lot of people behind him that’s going to be strong.”
Graham reckons Galligan will concentrate all of his energy into being the master of the house. The pair remain in regular contact and Graham has been offering advice to the man who captained the team while he was in charge. As Declan Bogue of this parish outlined earlier this week, Graham selected Galligan in goals for all but 20 minutes of the competitive games he oversaw during his five-year stint. The trust between the two is clear.
Graham is away from the picture now, opting to put his time into family and offering coaching assistance with his local club Cavan Gaels and Ballinamore Séan O’Heslins. But he’s available to chat if Galligan ever needs a steer.
“He did ring up looking for advice on different things, and I’m sure from talking to him that he’ll continue to ring if he feels he needs a bit of advice on something.
“He’s always looking to learn and improve. That relationship is always there.”
Their circumstances may differ slightly, but Tompkins understands the position that Galligan is in. There’s an added glare in the spotlight on him, given the uniqueness of his appointment. Tompkins knows all about that. He still reflects on the decisions he made as manager fondly, knowing that the real regret would have been declining the chance to be a Rebel again. It’s the things you don’t do that cause true demons. Whether Galligan opts to take a similar road, Tompkins’ only advice is to do it all with authenticity.
With Division 2 football awaiting Cavan in 2024, the first goal is already set out for Galligan.
“I’d be just saying to Raymond, ‘Give it a go. Do it the way you want to do it. And have no regrets.’
“Who’s to say in five or 10 years time that he would be offered the job?
“Everybody manages differently and does things differently. We all want to be successful but only one team can win an All-Ireland and there’s lots of positives for a lot of teams during the year, and you don’t have to win an All-Ireland to get those positives. He must get into his head what he wants for Cavan and go for it.”
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