MOST PEOPLE WOULD have missed it with the game in the fire at that point, but Ruairí Canavan also emerged as a potential concussion victim along with his brother Darragh in Errigal Ciaran’s All-Ireland club final defeat to Cuala.
“Both of the boys aren’t great, unfortunately,” said manager Enda McGinley to the media afterwards.
“They’re both going to head to hospital now for further checks and what not. Darragh obviously came off, he was groggy and he was not right. He just took a knee unfortunately to the head, it happened close enough to me. So, when I went out to him, I knew it was probably serious enough and you just can’t take risks with that.
“Then Ruairí unfortunately, I didn’t realise at the time but he was the first player I went to after the match and he was well out of it.
“On reflection, the last five-ten minutes, I’m not sure where his hit came but unfortunately he’s well dazed as well.
“So, the two boys will go and please God they’ll come round, I’m sure they will. That’s part of it; it didn’t impact on anything. I think the boys that were on the pitch did their level best to make a shape of it in the second half, but the two boys unfortunately picked up knocks.”
Enda McGinley leads Darragh Canavan to the dressing rooms. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Errigal Ciaran carried huge hopes coming into the game but along with Darragh Canavan’s withdrawal in the first half, they were blown away by the intent and positivity of Cuala as they attacked the game, grabbing three goals in the first 25 minutes and being 14 points up, 3-6 to 0-1 up at that stage.
“I’m probably still in shock just at what happened in the first half. It will take a wee bit of time to digest, but we were miles off it in the first half and came in with obviously the game gone. It was gone even three-quarters of the way through the first half,” said McGinley.
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“So, an exceptionally difficult place to be. The boys are just devastated obviously. It was such a huge day for them and for the club, and to come and perform like we did in the first half, it’s the nightmare you sort of fear and it came to pass.”
In the second half, Errigal actually outscored Cuala 1-10 to 0-5 but the mountain was just too steep to scale.
It did feature one of the all-time great All-Ireland final performances from Peter Harte. He scored a rocket of a goal, a brilliant point, sprayed ball around and actually drifted into the middle to pick up kickouts.
Even at the death he cut inside the Cuala defence and threatened another goal. He dished the ball to Padraig McGirr and when his shot was blocked down, frustration got the better of him and a punch on Conor Groarke was spotted and he received a red card.
Most managers would pass off the improved second half, but McGinley was enthusiastic about what they would take from it.
“Oh, massive. Massive. We all know, we’re all football people here. Those type of first halves can happen. They’ll happen any team, it’s just part of sport sometimes, and it happens much bigger teams than us and professional teams,” he said.
“And then you’re in a difficult place and it’s up to you to respond. You’ve two ways out, and the boys went at it, and just went at it and went at it and went at it, and made a game of it.
“So, to their absolute eternal credit, that second half will not make the first half any easier to stomach! But the alternative almost doesn’t bear thinking about, but the second half you can walk away … when I do (speak to the lads), I’ll absolutely tell them to walk away with their heads held high.”
Joe Oguz and Odhran Robinson lie dejected on the Croke Park turf. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Asked how he addressed the wreckage of the first half when they got in at half-time, he said, “There was an acceptance that it was a disaster of a first half. That the team froze.
“But there was a reality check that Cuala are good, but they are not that much better than us, and we are not that bad. So whatever was going on in the first half it wasn’t because we were playing against a team that was ten levels above us.
“…It’s been a long year. They have played some fantastic football and got themselves out of tight corners, repeatedly showing huge character and good quality and this was the last 30 minutes of the year.
“After all they have been through, they owed it to themselves to give it the final 30 minutes. And if you are going to die, well then you die with your boots on, and they done that.
“Cuala had built that wall in the first half. It was unlikely we were going to topple it completely but you just wanted to take it brick by brick and see where it took you.”
If there was a moment that worried him in the past week, it came in the final whistle of Cuala’s semi-final win over Coolera-Strandhill.
Watching a behind the camera recording of the game, McGinley was struck that once the result was decided, there was a businessman-like demeanour to the Cuala players. A brisk handshake here and there, and off to prepare.
It wasn’t like that in their extra-time win over Dr Crokes.
“Ours was a bit different down in Newbridge. It was a massive emotional high. Probably the biggest emotional high our club has ever experienced,” he said.
“And so that’s particularly difficult to get recovered from. The extra time and the boys were still tired and sore on Wednesday. There was a couple of them still struggling coming into today and big Joe Oguz had the ‘flu as well.
“So you had all of those things to manage, and then the emotional high within the club this week. We were coming in to the supporters today and the emotion was there to be seen, there were plenty of tears, so maybe that just all got out of control.
“The boys wanted it, I know that, but the first half just didn’t come to pass. We couldn’t play any football at all. It will certainly be another chapter in a sports psychology book somewhere.”
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Canavan brothers Darragh and Ruairí both brought to hospital for concussion check
MOST PEOPLE WOULD have missed it with the game in the fire at that point, but Ruairí Canavan also emerged as a potential concussion victim along with his brother Darragh in Errigal Ciaran’s All-Ireland club final defeat to Cuala.
“Both of the boys aren’t great, unfortunately,” said manager Enda McGinley to the media afterwards.
“They’re both going to head to hospital now for further checks and what not. Darragh obviously came off, he was groggy and he was not right. He just took a knee unfortunately to the head, it happened close enough to me. So, when I went out to him, I knew it was probably serious enough and you just can’t take risks with that.
“Then Ruairí unfortunately, I didn’t realise at the time but he was the first player I went to after the match and he was well out of it.
“On reflection, the last five-ten minutes, I’m not sure where his hit came but unfortunately he’s well dazed as well.
“So, the two boys will go and please God they’ll come round, I’m sure they will. That’s part of it; it didn’t impact on anything. I think the boys that were on the pitch did their level best to make a shape of it in the second half, but the two boys unfortunately picked up knocks.”
Errigal Ciaran carried huge hopes coming into the game but along with Darragh Canavan’s withdrawal in the first half, they were blown away by the intent and positivity of Cuala as they attacked the game, grabbing three goals in the first 25 minutes and being 14 points up, 3-6 to 0-1 up at that stage.
“I’m probably still in shock just at what happened in the first half. It will take a wee bit of time to digest, but we were miles off it in the first half and came in with obviously the game gone. It was gone even three-quarters of the way through the first half,” said McGinley.
“So, an exceptionally difficult place to be. The boys are just devastated obviously. It was such a huge day for them and for the club, and to come and perform like we did in the first half, it’s the nightmare you sort of fear and it came to pass.”
In the second half, Errigal actually outscored Cuala 1-10 to 0-5 but the mountain was just too steep to scale.
It did feature one of the all-time great All-Ireland final performances from Peter Harte. He scored a rocket of a goal, a brilliant point, sprayed ball around and actually drifted into the middle to pick up kickouts.
Even at the death he cut inside the Cuala defence and threatened another goal. He dished the ball to Padraig McGirr and when his shot was blocked down, frustration got the better of him and a punch on Conor Groarke was spotted and he received a red card.
Most managers would pass off the improved second half, but McGinley was enthusiastic about what they would take from it.
“Oh, massive. Massive. We all know, we’re all football people here. Those type of first halves can happen. They’ll happen any team, it’s just part of sport sometimes, and it happens much bigger teams than us and professional teams,” he said.
“And then you’re in a difficult place and it’s up to you to respond. You’ve two ways out, and the boys went at it, and just went at it and went at it and went at it, and made a game of it.
“So, to their absolute eternal credit, that second half will not make the first half any easier to stomach! But the alternative almost doesn’t bear thinking about, but the second half you can walk away … when I do (speak to the lads), I’ll absolutely tell them to walk away with their heads held high.”
Asked how he addressed the wreckage of the first half when they got in at half-time, he said, “There was an acceptance that it was a disaster of a first half. That the team froze.
“But there was a reality check that Cuala are good, but they are not that much better than us, and we are not that bad. So whatever was going on in the first half it wasn’t because we were playing against a team that was ten levels above us.
“…It’s been a long year. They have played some fantastic football and got themselves out of tight corners, repeatedly showing huge character and good quality and this was the last 30 minutes of the year.
“After all they have been through, they owed it to themselves to give it the final 30 minutes. And if you are going to die, well then you die with your boots on, and they done that.
“Cuala had built that wall in the first half. It was unlikely we were going to topple it completely but you just wanted to take it brick by brick and see where it took you.”
If there was a moment that worried him in the past week, it came in the final whistle of Cuala’s semi-final win over Coolera-Strandhill.
Watching a behind the camera recording of the game, McGinley was struck that once the result was decided, there was a businessman-like demeanour to the Cuala players. A brisk handshake here and there, and off to prepare.
It wasn’t like that in their extra-time win over Dr Crokes.
“And so that’s particularly difficult to get recovered from. The extra time and the boys were still tired and sore on Wednesday. There was a couple of them still struggling coming into today and big Joe Oguz had the ‘flu as well.
“So you had all of those things to manage, and then the emotional high within the club this week. We were coming in to the supporters today and the emotion was there to be seen, there were plenty of tears, so maybe that just all got out of control.
“The boys wanted it, I know that, but the first half just didn’t come to pass. We couldn’t play any football at all. It will certainly be another chapter in a sports psychology book somewhere.”
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All-Ireland Final errigal GAA Gaelic Football