McGuigan forswears bungee for leap of faith

To the usual list of sacrifices entailed in making an All-Ireland final (a summer without booze, without a holiday, and so on) we must also add Fraser Island, the Great Barrier Reef, and bungee jumping. Three months ago Brian McGuigan took an interlude from his year-long excursion to Australia to help Tyrone secure their ultimate goal of 2005 - win another All-Ireland title, or at least have no regrets in trying.

When McGuigan left his home in Ardboe last January he made no promises. He just told manager Mickey Harte he'd keep in touch, and if he felt something was missing inside he'd be back for the summer. Harte had to plan for the National League without him, but once Tyrone's championship got under way McGuigan found the thoughts of green fields impossible to resist.

"I missed the football too much," he admits. "It was always in the back of my mind to come back. But I was only definite about it when I actually booked the flight, which was around April time. So that was always the plan, to come home in the middle of June."

Win or lose against Kerry on Sunday he'll be back on a plane next month to conclude his Australian tour. McGuigan had good reason to pursue his wanderlust this year. Football had dominated his life once he launched his Tyrone career with the 1997 minor team that lost the All-Ireland final to Laois. Since then he's enjoyed All-Ireland minor and under-21 glory, and after landing two league medals as a senior he completed his set with Tyrone's historic All-Ireland crown in 2003.

Football also ran thick in his blood. When he collected his All Star at centre forward in 2003 he was emulating his father, Frank, who was selected in 1984 - only the fourth father-son pairing in All Star history. Still, when Tyrone lost their All-Ireland title last year McGuigan just knew he needed to take a breather.

"It was one of those things I wanted to do before it was too late to do it. After 2003 it came into my mind, and the original plan was to go for the whole year. I was based in Sydney, but took about four weeks to travel right up the east coast, to the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, places like that. It was the best four weeks of my life, and I'm looking forward to going back.

"I was also playing a bit with a team over there, Young Irelands, and was training with them since March. I know it wasn't the same level but it still made a bit of a difference . . . the fitness wasn't too bad when I did come back."

While all of Tyrone trumpeted his return, McGuigan himself wasn't so sure how easily he'd slip back into the team. He was named on the bench for the Ulster semi-final with Cavan on June 19th, but with the team struggling at half-time he was sprung and helped salvage a draw. He started the replay, Tyrone won by 21 points, and he hasn't looked back.

"The intensity of the training has been the main thing since I got back . . . It's been hectic now with all the games, but I reckon most teams would prefer playing week in and week out.

"And each match has been a good stepping stone to the final. I think a lot of the credit has to go to Mickey Harte. He'd been putting the emphasis on the last 10 minutes of matches, saying it was our strong point. So we weren't going to let Armagh get away from us in the semi-final."

The brute force Tyrone had to exert against Armagh in the semi-final was arguably the ideal preparation for the final. Kerry hardly needed to break sweat to beat Cork, not that McGuigan is about to underestimate Kerry.

"I think we're just looking forward to it now, more so than the semi-final with Armagh, which was a neighbourly thing. When you win the first All-Ireland the pressure does come off, but I know this Tyrone team does want to win another one. The spirit of this team is still as strong. We're still very, very close. When I got back I could sense the boys were a little more focused this year, and the training was a little more intense. I suppose there were a lot of things that took their heads away from the actual football last year. I think this year they all wanted to get back to the top.

"But I suppose Kerry have been getting a bit of stick from their own people about 2003. They'll be looking to set that record straight, and I reckon the first 10 or 15 minutes will be very, very intense. So it should make for an interesting final, especially if both of us start pulling a lot of players back. I'm sure Pat Spillane will have something to say about that."

Once back in Australia he'll rejoin his old team-mate Kevin Hughes, and winning the title would make the rest of his trip.

"And I haven't gone bungee jumping yet," he says. "But I don't know if I'm that adventurous."