'Bridge Ready To 'CAV' A Go

THERE will be one surname of the lips of Newbridge people this week – Cavanagh.

- Orlagh Mullan

Older brother Sean kicked his last ball in a Tyrone jersey this summer, but he has shown no signs of letting up. That fact came to the fore in the club’s quarter-final meeting with Carrickm across where the 34-year-old sent over the winning score in a tense and tight encounter to secure the club's first title in 35 years.

Then there is Colm. The towering midfielder is in the form of his life, proven at the weekend when he was one of only two players outside of Dublin or Mayo to pick up an All-Star award.

Any true Gael can do little but stand back and admire what the Cavanagh family have contributed to the game, but this week Paddy Bradley and Newbridge will be keen to do the exact opposite. They will respect, but they will not admire. It’s in those moments that the ruthlessness can be lost, and with a place in a provincial final at stake – ruthlessness is the order of the day.

THE TOUGHEST TEST

In his first season at the helm, Bradley has turned around the fortunes of the O’Leary’s and now it starts to feel like the atmosphere is changing again around the ‘Bridge. At the start of the season it was clear that an immediate return to senior football was the main target, and after achieving that they turned their attentions to a county championship that was won with relative ease.

It has been in the manner of their victories that Newbridge have been so impressive, but that could potentially lay a banana skin.