IN THE DRESSING room after Tyrone beat Kerry in the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final, Peter Canavan entered the room.
With the whoops and hollers dying down for a second, he approached his son Darragh.
He had been introduced as a sub on 65 minutes and his first play of the ball came after a brilliant run and an expertly-weighted pass from Mattie Donnelly. Straight in front of goal with just Shane Ryan to beat, Canavan put a little height on his shot. It was parried by Ryan but Cathal McShane was on hand to palm the rebound to the net.
It was the moment where Tyrone pushed the game into extra-time, but the perfectionist in Peter wouldn’t let it go.
‘The next time you are up against a Kerry goalkeeper in Croke Park,’ the story goes of his advice to his son, ‘You keep the ball on the deck.’
With memories of his shot that rolled past Diarmuid Murphy in the 2005 All-Ireland final part of the canon of Tyrone GAA memory, the laughs and slagging returned.
The latest coming of Jack O’Connor has already spawned many memorable lines, but this week he produced a sparkling one in assessing Saturday’s All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Tyrone; ‘We thought we were done with Peter Canavan, but now he’s produced two sons.’
Long before the nation at large knew about Peter Canavan, he was a torture to Kerry teams.
Back in the 1990s, he used to line out in the left half-forward position – the same number 12 that his son Ruairí wore against Donegal last Saturday. He played in the 1990 U21 All-Ireland defeat to Kerry, 5-12 to 2-11, and scored 2-3.
A year later, he and Tyrone were back in the final to face Kerry. Canavan was now captain and they won the first All-Ireland at this level 4-16 to 1-5, Canavan scoring 2-5.
In 1992, they defended that title with Canavan captain again and beating Galway in the final. They met Kerry in the semi-final and won that 1-13 to 1-8, Canavan hitting 0-3.
And yet, it would be another 11 years before he faced them in championship football again. And he lasted all of 14 minutes before an ankle injury forced him off. At half-time, he pleaded with his team mates that he never asked them to do something he wouldn’t face himself, but please see out the game. They did.
Over the last couple of years, it’s fair to say that the Tyrone footballing public has been guarded with their team. It’s even more strange given they won an All-Ireland title less than two years ago.
This week, there is still no bunting up around the county. Their support will largely make their way down to Croke Park on Saturday through Monaghan, which is already – possibly permanently – awash with white and blue flags.
Since Saturday, things are stirring. The win over Donegal has people seeking out football talk again. And the reason for that is the form of the Canavan brothers; Darragh and Ruairí.
Wearing the number 12 jersey, Ruairí made his second senior start in Ballybofey. It was almost an incredible opening few seconds as referee Conor Lane threw the ball in and the big bodies collided under the dropping ball.
It bounced up off the turf and Cormac Quinn’s run was in a perfect line. He carved through the middle. Ruairí Canavan made a quick dart to go to the sideline, spun and left his marker Caolan Ward for dead as he made a diagonal run towards goal.
He took the pass and produced a neat, tight solo dummy that took defender Ciaran Thompson and goalkeeper Shaun Patton out of the action. He slightly lost his balance as he got the shot off and it speared across the face of goal.
A wide. A let-off. Temporarily as it happens. But how worried were Donegal?
Well, Thompson and Stephen McMenamin were instantly in his face. Thompson then grabbed him for a wrestling match. You don’t get into that stuff unless there’s a bit of fear there. Within minutes, he had his first championship goal, profiting from a Patton mistake to round him, spill the ball but still hammer home the break.
His first start came against Westmeath. Tyrone have been holding him back since last season, and there have been some questions asking if you could play the two Canavans and Darren McCurry in the same forward line.
And the answer to that, is if course you can. Indeed, you are compelled to do so.
Around Errigal Ciaran, their progress has been tracked since Go Games. It has been notable that when they are in the same team, they elevate and compliment each other’s games. There may be differences in temperament that explain their trajectories.
When Darragh was just 18, he came off the bench for Tyrone in December 2018 to play against Derry in the Dr McKenna Cup. Although slight in stature, he clipped over a fine individual score near the end.
A few weeks later after beating Armagh in the final, Mickey Harte was uncharacteristically beaming about his Errigal Ciaran clubmate.
“Who wouldn’t be excited about Darragh Canavan?” said Harte.
“If you haven’t had time to get excited about him yet, I guarantee you will in the near future. He is just quality, he is a very young lad and we have to be careful with him because he’s just out of minor.
“But he’s a quality player and it’s not hard to see where he picked his skill off.”
Soon afterwards, the dust covers were thrown over Darragh and he went back to playing for Tyrone Under-20s. Injuries to his wrist and ankle halted his progress.
Within his club, they felt he was too unselfish as an underage player. Aware of his reputation to the point where he would give possession to team mates rather than play to his capabilities.
Ruairí, they say, is built differently. Second boys usually are. Mad for road. Demanding the ball, seeking out responsibility in an almost reckless way, a way that could put Kerry hearts crossways.
His first encounter with Kerry in championship came last summer in the U20 All-Ireland semi-final. He scored 0-8 and won the man-of-the-match award.
What does their father think?
Thankfully, The Irish Examiner’s Gaelic football show Podcast host Paul Rouse asked that this week. ‘Which of the two of them is most like you as a footballer?’
Which momentarily threw Peter.
“I’m not too sure. I don’t look into it that way. As long as the ball goes over the bar, I don’t particularly care what way it goes over the bar,” he said.
“I can see wee traits in both of them, in things that they do. I probably didn’t smile on the pitch as much as Ruairí does, so I’ll shade with Darragh.”
This year, Darragh has been Tyrone’s leading forward. There was a jarring scene in Ballybofey last Saturday night, long after the final whistle as Darragh walked barefoot towards the dressing room with his two calves strapped with ice packs.
Just yards away on the training pitch, Cathal McShane lined up with the other substitutes, doing end-to-end runs to get some work into their legs, another unused sub trying to catch a break with luck and fitness.
Against Armagh, Darragh hit two late points that shows the metamorphosis is in train. Two late points that they needed and he made out of nothing with a couple of long carries thrown in.
At the start of the second half against Donegal, he produced a point that showcased all the skills or using right and left, dropping a shot onto the roof of the net with his left boot.
As far as statistics go, his productivity is increasing.
Right now, he has 2-30 from 12 championship games working out at three points per game. These figures are even more impressive when you consider that includes four substitute appearances, three in which he didn’t score.
Peter’s figures are more reflective of a player who spent most of his career as the right-footed free-taker, Stephen O’Neill coming along in the back end of his career to take from the right flank.
All in, he hit 9-191 in 50 championship games; 4.36 points per game.
As Darragh’s confidence and assurance grows, as Ruairí’s impudence marries with maturity, the prospects for Tyrone are intoxicating.
Peter Canavan’s first time as a Tyrone player against Kerry was the 1988 All-Ireland minor semi-final. They lost 1-8 to 0-10.
The Ulster Herald report of the time noted that, ‘Tyrone once again had many extremely good players, the most notable of course being Peter Canavan who tortured the Kerry defence with his probing solo runs and deft passes.’
In the final play, they had a free-kick. Canavan had top-scored with 0-4 by this stage, but his effort fell short, the Kerry defence cleared and Tyrone were beaten.
His last ever act as a Tyrone player came as Kerry were trying to work the ball out from defence in the 2005 All-Ireland final. He grabbed Colm Cooper and held him, making sure he would not rescue Kerry.
It’s a small footnote now. He was prepared to do all in his power to stop Kerry inflicting hurt, and do all that he could to inflict the pain on Kerry.
And now he sends forth his two sons to face Kerry on Saturday. No wonder Jack O’Connor is making wry statements.