TYRONE BOSS MICKEY Harte defended his captain Sean Cavanagh in the wake of his sending-off at a crucial stage in yesterday’s All-Ireland semi-final.
Harte insisted that the Tyrone talisman was not instigator of the incident that resulted in his first yellow card after the interval of the game in Croke Park.
“I know this for sure, Sean Cavanagh doesn’t go looking for cards, never did in his whole career. It seems a shame that he would be victim to somebody else enticing him into that arena.
“He doesn’t go looking for anything, I can say that for sure with no fear of contradiction. he never went looking for a yellow card in his life.
“It seems a shame that a man at this stage of his career, has given so much to the game, can fall victim to that kind of stuff.
“If a forward wants to go and attack and it ends up in a wrestling match, well then that’s not the forward is going to instigate that. Officials make decisions, and this thing of ‘there’s always two involved’… There isn’t. It’s always somebody starts it. They need to be more tuned into who starts these things.”
The absence of Cavanagh hit Tyrone hard as they were forced to operate with 14 men for the remainder of the match.
“In a game of that nature, and to lose with a man like Sean – we just didn’t lose any player, we lost our captain, the most experienced player we have – it left us under severe pressure,” outlined Harte.
“Credit to the boys who played as long as they did and kept us in the game, because that was a huge loss to us. Not only his presence on the field but his ability to conjure up that winning score.
“You just can’t win games of this nature without a man like that on the field.”
Attention will turn to the Tyrone inter-county future of 33 year-old Cavanagh.
“We wouldn’t be expecting it. Sean is in a bad state at the minute and at this stage of his career that he is at, the effort he has given, it would not be a good time to ask him.
“I hope he takes time out to reflect on what’s there for him and who knows what that will tell him.”
Tyrone can reflect on a season where they collected three trophies – Dr McKenna Cup, Division 2 league and Ulster senior – but the disappointment of this loss will nag at them.
“It’s always good to win trophies and we got a few of those this year,” admitted Harte.
“I think it is good for players’ confidence, winning competitions. This is the big one, obviously, and we haven’t done the business in the big one.
“We will have to regroup and think our way through the first half of the year next year to see how we can position ourselves to win the provincial title next year and, in turn, go into the All-Ireland series and give it a real rattle.
“That’s the standard, it’s been set in Tyrone. Ultimate success is what people want and we will have to try to deliver that.”
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Put this in another article, but prob more suited here. Franco Smith of Glasgow won URC coach of the year. Friend would have been my pick. Remember when I first said that some said it should be Leo with only one loss in league, not sure if they feel the same way anymore. For Glasgow run to Challange cup final was good, but its URC Coach of the season so that competition doesn’t count in the reckoning. In URC Smith made playoffs and lost at home to Munster in Quarterfinal. For me Friend took Connacht with less resources than Glasgow and a more difficult fixture list, to the playoffs. Connacht were not expected to make playoffs, and made it and HCup, and won an away playoff meaning the went better than Glasgow. Connacht really overachieved this season, Glasgow did about as expected.
@Kingshu: agree 100%
@Kingshu: Would have Friend ahead of him also. Can make an argument for Rowntree also; first season, awful start, Munster playing a better style of rugby, took down 2 long running home winning streaks and are in the final.
Bit pointless to be comparing to last season when there were still some restrictions om attendances in some of the countries.
@0UWMNglt: seems like a nonsense stat alright
I hope the 5000 munster fans get to bring the league home. ( so it won’t have far to travel next season when win it back)
The Welsh clubs are so far behind. Have they ever reached 12,000 at any game? What has to be looked at is attendances at Welsh games. If the show grounds in Galway were enlarged there would be better crowds there.
Would like to see a breakdown per union home games – Ireland, Wales, Italy, South Africa, Scotland etc. You’d have to assume the Welsh regions would have quite a low average attendance. In addition, the SA home games I have seen appear to have very low attendances. Would love to see the non knockout games in SA have greater spectatorship in the stadiums. I remember watching Super rugby back in the early 00s, the fan base in South Africa was off the charts. Bulls, Sharks, Stormers ans The Cats all hvd hihe crowds at games. Was also lucky enough to get to a few fakes down in SA in 10/11 at Newlands. Full house everytime. Place was electric. May take a few years for the SA home base to commit to the URC.
@Steve Mccarthy: apologies for typos. Thumbs like big toes
@Steve Mccarthy: on wiki, its has each clubs average URC attendance.
There was 41,000 for judgement 2023 in the mileneum. Not to shabby. Double header. Lots or rugby fans in Wales, a good portion don’t follow the weslsh regions
@Paul Cassidy: South Africa could say the same. Huge rugby following there, just a lot follow more locally than the URC it would seem. I get it, it’s a huge country, imagine getting flights to follow your “home” team.