Donegal complacency, Mickey Harte to Louth and move Dublin out of Croke Park: Peter Canavan column

It's very hard to see complacency creep into a camp.

Declan Bonner said Donegal had prepared as well for Cavan as they had for the previous two games.

But the fact of the matter was everywhere those players would have gone since the Tyrone win, people would have been patting them on the back, and talking about an All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin.

It was very similar to the Cork-Kerry game, whereby the Kingdom were thinking of the bigger picture and looking around the corner. Donegal were guilty of looking past Cavan.

They clearly did not perform to their own high standards, nor anywhere near their best.

It was the Breffni County who were setting the pace of the game right from the off. They showed more hunger, they were more direct. The much-vaunted Donegal forward line failed to deliver.

After 21 minutes, Donegal had scored 0-9. For the rest of the game, they only scored three points, two of which came from frees. One point from play in over 45 minutes of football says a lot about Donegal's performance.

On the other hand, you have to applaud Cavan because they took their game to another level. In the three previous games, they played in fits and starts. They controlled the game and were worthy winners, despite playing two 10-minute periods with 14 men due to black cards.

It was a remarkable victory, one out of which Mickey Graham will take immense pride.

Subscribe to GAA alerts!

We'll send you push notifications so you'll receive all of the big GAA news!

This Donegal team's inability to reach the All-Ireland semi-final is a worry.

The bottom line is they have the personnel to compete with Dublin. But they have not been able to get to the biggest stages. Consistency has been their problem. Without doubt, Declan Bonner, Stephen Rockford and Co will be left scratching their heads.

Cavan vs Dublin should be moved out of Croke Park

Cavan themselves want it moved out of Croke Park. Mickey Graham has come out and said as much.

I do not believe it is going to have a bearing on the overall result. Dublin will still win the game.

This is nothing against Dublin. But their recent games in the Super 8s and the National League would indicate they can play well away from home. But when they are such hot favourites, why would you give them anymore advantage in an All-Ireland semi-final?

The Breffni County have a valid case for requesting a move.

The All-Ireland semi-finals and finals in both hurling and Gaelic football have all been fixed for HQ. But only one of those eight teams will have home advantage.

Given the circumstances of the year, if there was going to be 60,000 or 70,000 at the game, there would be no debate; it should be in Croke Park. But I think Cavan are justified in suggesting that it should be played at another venue.

• Galligan: Semi-final out of Croker would help Cavan

Harte makes swift return to management

Mickey and I were chatting at the Cavan vs Down game two weeks ago, and he indicated that he was not ready to put up his feet quite yet.

I knew by talking to him that he still has the appetite for management. He did not take long in making up his mind. I think Louth will suit him from the point of view that there is only one way to go, and that's up.

Also, he is unlikely to come up against Tyrone; a reason why I do not think he would have taken over a Division 1 team, nor any Ulster county. From that point of view, Louth is probably a good fit.

I have no doubt they will make serious progress, and they will climb back up the ladder once again.

Mickey Harte will set high targets; his ambition will be to reach Division 2 in two years, and be competitive in Leinster.

Ten years ago, they should have won a Leinster title. So it was not long ago that they were real contenders.

Make sure to tune into Inside The Game - our weekly GAA discussion show - on Sky Sports Mix every Wednesday evening.