JUST HOW BIG of a blow for Cavan is the loss of Paddy Lynch?

Seismic.

The Anglo Celt have reported that the star forward has suffered an ACL injury, so the Breffni will be without their main man for the remainder of the 2024 season.

It’s understood Lynch suffered the setback on Thursday, and the prognosis was confirmed via the results of a scan on Friday night. 

It’s a gut-wrenching setback for the 24-year-old personally, and for his club, Crosserlough, too.

The timing is cruel: the cruciate curse struck the same week as Cavan’s Ulster championship quarter-final defeat to Tyrone, and a few days out from tomorrow’s All-Ireland SFC draw.

Now, Raymond Galligan and his management team must wrap their heads around it all, gather themselves and plan for the rest of the year as they learn their fate as fourth seeds.

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Lynch was the top scorer across all four divisions of the National Football League.

He hit 1-48, just short of 50% of Cavan’s total return as they finished third in Division 2.

The 24-year-old went on to score 1-9 in an Ulster championship exhibition against Monaghan, before contributing 0-5 in the Tyrone loss, ultimately bringing his tally to 2-62 in nine games.

Much has been made of Cavan’s reliance on Lynch of late, and he spoke to that on the brilliant GAA Social Podcast after their stunning win over Monaghan.

Pushed by presenter Thomas Niblock and Donegal great Michael Murphy about whether he felt the burden of being the main man, Lynch said:

“No. Not really. I probably went hard on myself… there’s a lot of frees there, I got opportunities from play and I didn’t take them in games. You go back to training every Tuesday and Thursday and work on them. I’m definitely not getting ahead of myself.

“I enjoy being the focal point up front, it’s nothing that puts me under pressure or anything. Gearóid [McKiernan] was probably that for Cavan for the last few years, someone had to step up this year and I’m happy enough to step up.”

His modesty, humility and maturity shone through during the interview as we got an insight into his free-taking, the impact of Tyrone legend Stephen O’Neill and ultimately, what makes the talismanic inside forward tick.

“I don’t want to sound cocky or anything like that,” Lynch noted at one point, though he did eventually concede that he was “good enough” to take frees off both sides.

“I take them with my club both sides. Gearóid was there the last few years, since he’s gone, I’ve decided to take them now myself. They’re going over at the minute, thank God.”

Who will the scoring burden fall to now? Who will be expected to step up? Who will be the main free-taker?

These are the big questions Cavan must find answers to.

They generally have a spread of players that will chip in with one score a-piece. Behind Lynch, Oisín Brady was next in line in terms of white flags raised against Tyrone. He hit 0-3 from play, while Tiarnan Madden added 0-2 from the bench.

Brady — Cavan GAA Player of the Year for 2023 — is the free-taker for his club, Killygarry, so he may indeed take the mantle. 

Lynch facing Trevor Collins of Laois in the Tailteann Cup last year. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

Murphy waxed lyrical about Lynch when he went on his way after the GAA Social interview. “Roy of the Rovers stuff,” the 2012 All-Ireland winner said. “Very, very impressed by him. There’s an excitement about him.”

There always has been. A standout star at underage level and club champion, Lynch joined the Cavan senior panel ahead of the 2021 season.

He scored 0-4 on his National League debut in a Division 3 loss to Fermanagh. They were later relegated, but a little short of a year later, he inspired Cavan to Division 4 glory with 2-3 in a man-of-the-match performance against Tipperary.

2022 really was his breakout season: Lynch marked his championship debut with 0-8 against Antrim, before clipping 0-6 in the Ulster semi-final defeat to Donegal.

He came in for high praise from Peter Canavan and Mickey Harte on the BBC that day, the latter announcing him as “a serious operator”.

The year ended in Tailteann Cup final disappointment against Westmeath, but the plaudits kept coming for Lynch.

Former Cavan forward Cian Mackey and underage coach John Brady mapped his rise in a piece for The 42 headlined, ‘The star forward Cavan ‘have been crying out for’ that has ‘the potential to be one of the best’.

That potential has only grown since.

Unfortunately, it’s all on hold momentarily.

Lynch will recover from this seismic blow, and his star will continue to rise.

But how Cavan cope in his absence will be telling over the next few weeks.