GAA Top 20: Cavanagh, McKenna or Canavan - who is the greatest Tyrone footballer of the last 50 years?

Five All Stars and a Footballer of the Year award would be enough to earn top spot in every county except Kerry, Dublin and Tyrone. Seán Cavanagh is the unlucky one in Tyrone, edged out by Peter Canavan, who has a similar haul.

Cavanagh’s supporters will, no doubt, claim that his high-octane game all over the pitch took him ahead of Canavan, who spent most of his time poaching close to goal.

So why opt for Canavan at No 1? To a certain degree, it comes down to the timing of their careers. Cavanagh arrived on the scene early in the new Millennium at a stage when the best squad in Tyrone history was coming together.

He, and others from the younger set, completed the picture which was unveiled in a glorious kaleidoscope of colour when Tyrone won the All-Ireland title for the first time in 2003 with Canavan as captain. That was entirely appropriate after all he had done for more than a decade.

Canavan and his colleagues experienced many disappointments in the 1990s, but kept believing their day would come. That’s not easy in counties who haven’t won All-Ireland titles and demands real mental toughness which Canavan had in abundance.

That was crucial as Tyrone built towards a new world which emerged in 2002 and ’03, when they won both Allianz Leagues and the All-Ireland title (2003) for the first time.

Cavanagh was mentally strong too, but unlike Canavan, he knew no real hardships before finding himself with an All-Ireland SFC medal.

Eugene McKenna, one of the stars of the previous generation, might well have been the first captain to lead Tyrone to an All-Ireland title if he wasn’t forced off with an injury during the 1986 final against Kerry.

It was a serious setback for Tyrone who faded as Kerry regrouped after falling seven points behind early in the second half. McKenna was a powerful performer in a career which yielded two All Stars.

TYRONE

1. Peter Canavan, 2. Seán Cavanagh, 3. Eugene McKenna, 4. Stephen O’Neill, 5. Philip Jordan, 6. Brian Dooher, 7. Frank McGuigan, 8. Conor Gormley, 9. Kevin McCabe, 10. Brian McGuigan, 11. Ryan McMenamin, 12. Owen Mulligan, 13. Mattie Donnelly, 14. Enda McGinley, 15. Joe McMahon, 16. Damien O’Hagan, 17. Peter Harte, 18. Plunkett Donaghy, 19. Colm Cavanagh, 20. Pascal McConnell

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