GRAHAM HAS MADE US MUCH STRONGER

SHANE MULLIGAN says Cavan have got themselves a top manager in new boss Mickey Graham.

Ex-cavan attacker Graham led Mullinalaghta to a first Longford title since 1950 in 2016 and they’ve since completed a three-in-a-row.

But if they lose tomorrow’s AIB Leinster club final then Graham (right) will step down and focus all his attentions on the Cavan job.

Mulligan said:

“We would have been competitive beforehand, we’d have been there or thereabouts in Longford but until Mickey arrived the question would always have been asked, and we would have been asking it ourselves, ‘Are we going to win a senior championship?’

“We had been competitive, we were going the right way, we just couldn’t seem to get it all together.”

Under Graham’s guidance they’ve taken out fancied sides like Stradbally and St Loman’s, in 2016, and more recently Rhode.

They’ve beaten the once mighty Eire Og twice too and while south-dublin super-club Crokes are favourites tomorrow, Mulligan promised to play without fear.

He said: “We won’t be parking the bus anyway. We’ll be going to compete and to try to get as good a performance out of ourselves as we can.

“We’re obviously delighted to be there and it’s a huge occasion but the plan is to be right there bang in it at the end.”

Mulligan added: “We’ll give them the same respect as we give everyone else.”