Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Absences damaging for series
SEAN CAVANAGH admits his heaviest Championship defeat with Tyrone made it easier to pull the plug on his glorious intercounty career.
Cavanagh let it be known from a long way out that the 2017 season would be his 16th and final one representing the county and while it ended on a whimper in the All-ireland semi-final against Dublin, the 12-point pummelling meant that finally cutting his ties wasn’t as big a wrench as he feared it might be.
“They have everything, the resources, the players, playing in Croke Park, and the way they beat us it certainly made it easier for me to walk away from the inter-county game,” said Cavanagh of the Dubs.
“We are probably not at that level. I wholeheartedly believed before that game that we had enough to beat Dublin and I walked away at the end of that game knowing that we didn’t.
“Dublin are ahead of us and ahead of everyone. There is a lot of catching up to be done by every other team in Ireland and I am glad that I am no longer on the hamster wheel trying to do that.
“I could not have given any more in the last couple of years trying to do that and that goes for the other Tyrone lads as well, who gave every ounce of energy they had.
“It is a bit demoralising to know that you have given everything you possibly can but you are still a fair bit off but because of that you have to give credit to this great Dublin team.”
Cavanagh mightn’t have made his final appearance in Croke Park just yet, however. His club, Moy, recently won the Tyrone intermediate title and will embark on an Ulster Championship quest that could yet lead them to GAA headquarters.
“Of course that would be special. I would be more delighted if it happened for the guys who have soldiered so long with me.
“There are a few guys who have been there for 17/18 years trying to win a Championship with Moy so if that happened it would be incredible.
“We are playing Carrickmacross in a couple of weeks and that game will have special significance because it will be the first time that we have ever represented Moy outside of Tyrone.
“It is a perfect ending to the year as opposed to the Dublin game.”
Although Karl Lacey has linked up with the Donegal senior management team immediately after retiring, Cavanagh says he will bide his time in that regard.
“At some stage I probably will get that urge. I never want to be disconnected from the game and I am going to be involved playing at club level for the next few years but possibly after that I may be able to get involved in some managerial aspect.
“I have a tendency to overthink things so if I ever did go into such a role it would want to be the right time from my family’s perspective.
“I would say no in the short-term. I will spend a few years with Moy before that happens and try and catch-up on the time I missed out,” he added. THE International Rules has been diminished by Ireland’s inability to field their strongest team, says Sean Cavanagh.
The former Tyrone star, a veteran of the series who captained Ireland to victory in 2008, will not enjoy a swansong to his elite football career down under next month due to his club Moy’s involvement in the Ulster Intermediate Championship.
James Mccarthy, Lee Keegan and a host of others won’t be available to boss Joe Kernan either.
Ireland play Australia in Adelaide and Perth on November 12 and 18 and the 34-year-old also believes that public interest has fallen since the fierce brawls were eradicated in the last decade.
Cavanagh, who was honoured as the Gaelic Writers Association Footballer Personality of the Year last night, said: “It does boil to what the GAA intend to do with the fixtures and where the AFL need it scheduled.
“As well, attendances have waned slightly over the past five/six years so it needs a good series down in Australia for people’s interest to be reignited.
“The reality is that once the fighting and the violence went out of it interest waned. I still think it is a great spectacle and the players love it but it will come down to where it fits into the fixture schedule.
“I would have loved to be involved this year and I am sure so would the likes of Peter Harte but he is in a county final.
“You are getting to the point now where the best players are not getting the chance to play for Ireland which also diminishes it as a concept.”