During the week, Cavans All Star full back Padraig Faulkner didnt mince his words. If we lose to Tyrone, he said, it is probably one of the worst years in Cavan football history.
To avoid that fate they were going to have to overcome some huge obstacles, not least their form against Tyrone in the championship. They had failed to beat the Red Hand across nine encounters reaching all the way back to 1983 while this Cavan group would also have to turn their own form on its head.
Its only been a little over six months since they swept to one of the most unlikely Ulster titles of recent times. But what has been even harder to fathom is their form since. They slipped into the basement division with defeat to Wicklow, their second successive relegation, and desperately needed a boost.
And despite Faulkners rallying cry, they never really looked like they were ready to summon the fury that served them so well last winter and raid Omagh.
The first half, and indeed probably the whole game, was about one man. Darren McCurry once left the Tyrone panel under Mickey Harte but here he was front and centre. With Cathal McShane only fit enough to start on the bench and with other forward options Darragh Canavan and Conor McKenna ruled out completely, McCurry seemed to thrive on the responsibility.
The Edendork man hit seven first half points and his haul included every type of score. His opening effort came from a mark and he was on form with frees while he also landed the score of the half with an effort that saw him spectacularly gather a Peter Harte pass before spinning his marker and splitting the posts with his left foot.
At one stage, he scored four points on the spin and his influence had Cavan manager Mickey Graham performing surgery on his defence. McCurrys early marker, debutant Cian Reilly, was withdrawn and he was replaced by Luke Fortune.
But Tyrone tails were up at that stage while Cavan, who had picked off a couple of nice scores early on, started to look more like the side that slipped into division four than the one that scythed through Ulster. Errors seemed to pull from their belief while Tyrone, who were playing for the first time since they shipped six goal against Kerry, grew as they kicked six of the last seven scores of the half.
However, Cavan did manage to create the best goal chance of the half but Gerard Smiths attempt to flick the ball past the onrushing Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan was easily recovered by the Tyrone defence.
And it was fitting that a McCurry free rounded out the scoring for the first half to see the home side take a 0-11 to 0-7 lead in at the break.
The second half started as the first ended, with a McCurry point, before Tyrone delivered the games hammer blow. Substitute Brian Kennedy started and finished a move that saw him squeeze his shot under Ray Galligan and inside the post. Tyrone were eight to the good and suddenly the road back looked too long for Cavan.
A Gearoid McKiernan free stemmed the bleeding for what was the Breffni mens first score in 20 minutes but Tyrone were in complete control now. Cathal McShane was sprung from the bench to play for the first time since suffering a horrific ankle injury in February 2020 and his first involvement saw him split the posts while in an explicable amount of space.
And just when it seemed like the game was set to drift to its conclusion, Tyrone offered Cavan a chink of light. Ronan McNamee picked up a straight red card for a clash with Conor Brady as the game turned niggly. It was the fourth card referee David Gough flashed in the matter of seconds and was a needless cloud on an otherwise sunny day for Tyrone.
Still Cavan didnt look like they had either the legs or the belief to reel Tyrone in and Niall Sludden pointed after being put clear by Tyrones impressive debutant Conn Kilpatrick.
Conor Smith, in particular, carried the fight for Cavan but there was only one winner from a long way out. Cavans 2021 was in the book with no one in the Breffni county will be sorry to see the back of it. Tyrones post Mickey Harte championship era was off to a winning start with enough bright spots to see them move on with optimism. However, bigger tests lie ahead.
SCORERS Tyrone: D McCurry 0-10 (4f, 1m), C McShane 0-3, B Kennedy 1-0, N Sludden 0-2, R Donnelly, P Harte, P Donaghy 0-1 each.
Cavan: G McKiernan 0-6 (4f), C Smith 0-2, T Galligan, G Smith, O Pierson, R Galligan (1f), C Madden 0-1 each.
Tyrone: N Morgan; M McKernan, R McNamee, P Hampsey; R Brennan, M ONeill, P Harte; M Donnelly, C Kilpatrick; K McGeary, R Donnelly, C Meyler; D McCurry, P Donaghy, N Sludden SUBS: B Kennedy for R Donnelly (35) , T McCann for K McGeary (HT), C McShane for Donaghy (48), F Burns for Sludden (50), B McDonnell for McKernan (73).
Cavan: R Galligan; K Clarke, P Faulkner, C Reilly; B OConnell, K Brady, J McLoughlin; T Galligan, C Moynagh; G Smith, G McKiernan, O Kiernan; O Pierson, O Brady, M Reilly SUBS: L Fortune for C Reilly (30), C Madden for Moynagh, C Smith for O Brady (both HT), C Brady for M Reilly (46), C Conroy for Pierson (55), N Murray for K Brady (63).
Referee: D Gough (Meath)
