Fans must ease pressure on wunderkind Canavan

RONAN McNAMEE has pleaded for Tyrone supporters to judge teenage sensation Darragh Canavan on his own merits rather than on his father’s.

The youngster, son of county legend Peter, made his competitive debut last Sunday in Killarney, as a secondhalf substitute in Tyrone’s defeat to Kerry.

He is already being touted as one of the game’s brightest emerging talents, but McNamee believes that expectations, especially among Tyrone fans, need to be tempered.

‘He is a great wee footballer but there’s lot expected of him because of who is father is and that is not really fair on him,’ he warns.

‘His dad was on a different level than anybody that had been about. He is his father’s son and there will be a lot expected of him, but it is something he will have no bother stepping up to.

‘He could surpass what his father did. Who knows, if he is lucky enough to be on a winning team. It will be great for Tyrone if he does.’

Canavan (right) is expected to play a key role as the season progresses but will not feature in today’s Allianz League clash with Mayo at Omagh – a game which has taken on increased importance for the home team after last weekend’s defeat.

And McNamee admits, in the aftermath of last September’s All-Ireland final loss to Dublin, that Mayo are the team Tyrone should model themselves on.

‘They were coming back to the same level each year. They never faded into the abyss because they lost an AllIreland final.They were beaten, they hit it again even harder, were beaten, came back and raised it even more. They never lay down, they kept coming back and coming back. I don’t know of any other team could do it. I think they are the barometer for a lot of teams, including us,’ said McNamee, who admits that he has never watched a recording of last year’s final defeat to Dublin. ‘You could sit and dwell on it, but what good is that going to do for you. You are just going to wreck your own head over it. You just get back on the horse. ‘