Quest for Tailteann Cup glory worth Breffni boys' sacrifices

Not long after they exited the Ulster Championship following a loss to Donegal, the Cavan team held a meeting with management.

Promotion to Division 3 was already in the bag and a league title with it, but where did the Tailteann Cup stand in their list of targets? The meeting would tell all.

At the end of it they knew where they stood. All in.

"There was talk of were lads going to go abroad, '' says top defender Padraig Faulkner.

"There are a lot of lads playing football in America at the minute, but we sat down and said, 'this is something we really want to win'. And everyone stuck at it, there was no drop-off.

"It is a chance to win something and my friends think this is a great competition. It was right back to the drawing board, could be a great stepping stone for next year and we put 100% into it."

For Faulkner, the taste of silverware is something he cannot take for granted.

He played five years for Cavan before he won a medal at senior level.

"This is important to win for younger lads on the panel and for those who have great experience," he says.

"The younger lads get to play another two games at Croke Park and get that competitive factor again and it’s huge progress."

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Faulkner says that reaching the final is a nice reward for all the work invested.

Being an inter-county player in 2022 is demanding. Even with the GAA trying to safeguard players welfare by trying to limit training sessions and streamline seasons, every player is on the clock, around the clock.

"It is a big commitment