FINAL COUNTDOWN: Canavan feels journey isn’t complete yet

COMPLETING their amazing Championship journey by landing the Andy Merrigan Cup is the sole focus for Errigal Ciaran’s experienced attacker Thomas Canavan this week.

While he has obviously basked in the glory of their wonderful run over the past four months, like everyone associated with the Dunmoyle club, for Tommy there is one chapter still to be penned, and that is the most important one- victory in the All-Ireland Final this Sunday.

“This season has been something else”, he explains. “ For the club to get playing at Croke Park in an All-Ireland Final is dream stuff. But that’s just one part of the dream, the other is finishing out the job with winning the trophy.

“ This group now have been on this journey together over this past number of years so hopefully we can get over the line at Croke Park and make it a truly extra special day that lives long in the history of Errigal Ciaran.”

The players deservedly partied hard after their Tyrone and Ulster Championship triumphs but with little respite between the All-Ireland semi-final and final, there was no ‘Monday club’ in full swing around Ballygawley this week, despite their momentous extra-time triumph over Dr Crokes.

For Canavan that win, no matter how memorable, was only a means to an end.

“ It’s all now about taking the cup home when we get to Croke Park. We aren’t just going to be happy being there. We have one big hurdle to get past.

“ You have to make the most of these times as they don’t come about to often, winning Ulsters. There will be no celebrating after this one though because of the quick turnaround, it will be heads down and get ready for Croke Park.”

Reflecting back on that match with the Killarney side in Newbridge on Saturday, Canavan admitted that the seismic shifts in momentum and fortune at different junctures was hard to take in.

“ It was unbelievable, I don’t know where to start describing that game. There was so much rolled into one across normal time and then extra-time. I am so proud of this group of players and the club as a whole.

“ I thought our defence was immense at times keeping them out. They just slogged it out for the eighty plus minutes and got their due reward.There was two teams went this distance before in the club, in ’93 and 2002.

“We had seen them getting this far so it was up to our team to write our own history by going a step further. This is a new chapter in the club and we were desperate to do that.

“ That showed in the grit and determination with which we have gone about our business. It went to the wire against Dr Crokes just as it has done in a number of our matches this campaign.

“But we want to now finish it properly.”