Canavan hungry as ever at home

Tyrone SFCThe departure of Peter Canavan from the county scene may have robbed the wider GAA world of an all-time great, but the former Tyrone star is still weaving his magic on the local scene.

The All Star attacker has been turning on the style for his club, and Sunday next he'll captain Errigal Ciarán in the county final against champions Carrickmore.

Victory at Healy Park would give Canavan his sixth Tyrone SFC medal, and his hunger hasn't waned since he first tasted O'Neill Cup glory 13 years ago.

Back then, he was a legend in the making. Now he is the icon of a new generation of footballers in a famous club.

"There's great desire in the club at the minute," he confirms. "The young fellows that have come in have shown a great appetite for it. They have trained very hard and there's great competition for places."

Errigal haven't reached the final since 2003, when they lost, an unusually long famine for a club whose staple is success.

"We're delighted to be back in the final again after the way this past couple of years has gone," adds Canavan.

Carrickmore are chasing their third title on the trot, having come from six points behind to defeat Dromore in extra time of an epic semi-final replay last weekend.

"We're up against formidable opposition," admits Canavan. "Carrickmore proved in the semi-final how strong they are. They looked down and out at one stage, but held on for a great victory.

"They're going to be giving it everything and we know what to expect from them, so we would need to be playing to our best if we're going to beat them."

Errigal also recovered from a six-point deficit in their semi-final, against Coalisland, and in the process displayed spirit and character to rival Carrickmore's fabled qualities.

"We were happy enough with that," says Canavan. "We were six points down . . . but we had a good second half and turned the thing around. It would be nice to get the same result on Sunday."

Errigal and Carrickmore have been involved in some memorable tussles, and Canavan expects Sunday to throw up another cracking contest: "Any time the clubs compete against each other, in league or championship, seldom is there any more than a point or two between the teams. So I imagine Sunday's final is going to be no exception."