COUNTY final day holds painful memories for a group of Errigal Ciaran players whose dreams were shattered by defeats in the Tyrone SFC deciders of 2017 and 2019.
Team captain Tommy Canavan is equally scarred by those losses to Omagh and Trillick, but unlike most of his team-mates, he has tasted success as a young O’Neill Cup winner back in 2012.
It a unique thrill that he wants to share with the men who have taken the club to the cusp of an eighth championship title in Sunday’s decider against Carrickmore.
“They say you often learn more in defeat, and hopefully that will be the case for a number of our boys that have represented the club over the last few years and in those two county finals, and can use that hurt and learning to help us get over the line,” said Canavan (30).
“I grew up watching teams represented the club with distinction and bringing county titles home, so you’re always desperate to do it yourself.
“I was very fortunate to be part of a very strong group at that time, that got over the line, and it shows you the competitiveness of Tyrone football that we haven’t got over the line since. Hopefully we can push on and do it.
“In a club like ourselves, you have ambition every year to be there or thereabouts, but I think that’s the same across the board in Tyrone football now.
“Most Division One teams probably have strong aspirations to be reaching county finals, and strongly believe that they can maybe get over the line, so it’s as competitive as ever – seventeen years with no back-to-back titles.
“But hopefully we can make the most of the opportunity that has presented itself.”
Canavan fired over three points in the victory over Dromore a decade ago, but finished on the losing side when Errigal faced Omagh in the 2017 final, and again against Trillick in the decider two years later.
“There is experience there, having been in the two finals, although not every player was part of that.
“Hopefully that will stand to us. We didn’t get over the line on those days, but hopefully we’ll take the learning from it and go one more.”
Just a handful of survivors remain from that 2012 triumph, but they’re key men in the latest push for glory, with Peter Harte and Aidan MacRory still playing central roles.
“Petey and Aidy have been great stalwarts down through the years for the club and they have led by example the whole time they have been there.
“They have brought that young group through, the Minor winning teams of 2017 and 2018, and they have been a breath of fresh air over the last five or six years too. They have really pushed on.”
Mental toughness and resilience have been notable features of Errigal’s journey to the 2022 decider, which has been them pull through in the sort of games that in other seasons they might have lost.
Those strengths were evident in the semi-final against champions Dromore, when they stood firm in a gripping finish to hold on for a one point win.
“We have done work on all aspects of the game – physically, mentally, and throughout the year we promised that we would be very honest with ourselves in all that we do.
“I think that has stood us in good stead, thankfully, but there’s nothing won yet and there’s one massive game to go.”
