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'My incredible journey ends' - Sean Cavanagh confirms retirement after 16 years at the top

Mickey Harte paid a glowing tribute to Cavanagh after the game.

THE AFTERMATH OF Tyrone’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat was tinged with sadness as Sean Cavanagh confirmed it was his final appearance for the county.

The 2008 Footballer of the Year decided to give it one more year in 2017 but today’s defeat to Dublin brought down the curtain on his legendary career.

He holds the highest number of appearances for an outfield player with 89, one ahead of Kerry brothers Tomas Ó Sé and Marc Ó Sé.

The 34-year-old spent some time on the field with his family after the final whistle and later tweeted his thanks to the GAA shortly after the game.

“My incredible journey ends. Blessed to have shared the highs & lows of our game with some amazing Gaels,” Cavanagh wrote.

Cavanagh has been a permanent fixture in the Tyrone team since making his debut a year out of minor in 2002. Mickey Harte took charge the following season and they lifted three All-Ireland titles side-by-side, becoming one of the iconic duos in the GAA along the way.

“Sean Cavanagh is with these Tyrone seniors as long as I am, and he was a faithful servant,” said Harte after the game.

“He gave so much, he has so many accolades to prove his value across many, many spectres of awards. He has nothing to regret really, he gave it all he had.

“We were hoping that he would get another day before he finished his career, we haven’t been able to provide that for him, but I don’t think he’ll walk away with many regrets.

“There’s not many players will leave the game of Gaelic football with all that he has achieved, particularly not in Tyrone anyway.”

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