FROM greenhorn into veteran, Colm Cavanagh has very quickly morphed.
More quickly than he might have liked but probably not an unexpected turn of events for the Moy man, who is 27 this year.
An All-Ireland medallist in his second year on the panel in 2008, Cavanagh had joined a squad that had already enjoyed its peak.
Over time, as is the way, their veterans have drifted off the scene. One by one, Dooher, O’Neill, McGinley, McMenamin, Gormley et al disappeared from the training field with every passing winter.
Left now are his elder brother Sean and the McMahon brothers, the only links to the starting team of eight years ago.
Colm Cavanagh joined in 2007 and battled for a place in the side over a number of years. But his veteranship has come not from his age, but rather from his performances of the past few seasons.
He was arguably Tyrone’s best player last season and the Moy man has become one of the first names on the teamsheet, playing well at midfield.
As he and his team-mates prepare for the challenge of Meath at the weekend, admits it has felt strange to be looked upon as one of the few elder statesmen.
“It’s a strange feeling because it seems like no time ago since I came on to the panel. We were having a laugh last week about it. There’s a lot more younger guys about now than traditionally in the last few years.
“It’s definitely strange to be considered one of the older guys there. But I suppose there comes a time when everyone moves on and you have to step up and take on more of a leadership role.
“I suppose I try to pass on any small bit of wisdom that I have gained in my eight or nine years here. The guys that come in bring a new lease of life and keep everyone on their toes.
“That’s very evident now in training, everyone has to be pushing hard to keep their place. Not just the 15, but the 26. There’s a lot of competition there and that’s the way it should be.”
The previous performances of the two sides were fairly contrasting. Tyrone, not aided by a seven-week layoff from their Ulster Championship defeat by Donegal, laboured for a long while before they shrugged off Limerick.
“You’re going into a completely different competition, so to speak,” says Cavanagh.
“We were without competitive football in six or seven weeks, so it was always going to be difficult to rise ourselves to the challenge.
“Limerick proved very difficult to break down, they’d a lot of men behind the ball, and they did that well and stayed in the game for a long time. The change of competition and the lack of football maybe just didn’t go in our favour for that game.”
Meath, meanwhile, looked for 35 minutes that they might have the tools to trouble Dublin as they turned in a scintillating attacking display to wipe the floor with Westmeath in the first half of their Leinster semi-final.
But the whole thing fell apart on them after the break as they lost a ten-point lead and succumbed to a defeat that many expect will break them.
Cavanagh admits that the history between the two counties – though not necessarily these two teams – provides an added spark to Sunday’s encounter.
“There’s history there between Tyrone and Meath, obviously, and that always brings a spark to the game. As we progress through the qualifiers, it’s obviously going to be a step up in every round. Meath’s going to be a huge test for us.”
One of the more impressive facets of Tyrone’s victory over Limerick was the performance of substitute Mark Bradley, who came on before half-time and will press for a starting place against the Royals.
“If you’re going to progress through the qualifiers, the squad’s going to be tested to its full capacity. Anyone could be called on on any given day. To have that strength in depth is going to be needed,” said Cavanagh.
