Sounds like the greatest weekend of all time.
Sean Cavanagh is at a loss to explain where the years have gone.
It is 14 years since, as a teenager, he made his breakthrough to the Tyrone senior panel. Three All-Irelands, four Ulster titles and five All-Stars later, Cavanagh is very much a veteran of the squad.
‘It doesn’t feel like that long ago that I was the new kid on the block – the 19-year-old with all the flashing lights in front of me,’ he tells us.
‘It’s a young man’s game now. Players have to commit more and more of their time to the game now – training, flexibility sessions, gym extras, trips to the pool. For guys in their late 20s and early 30s, with family and work commitments, it can be a drain.’
‘Still,’ the 33-year-old adds, ‘I’m hanging in there and enjoying every minute of it.’
The Tyrone captain shared a few secrets from the Red Hand camp, revealed how his diet has drastically improved and spoke about the struggle of getting his young teammates out for a pint.
Has player tracking and increased fitness drills made GAA a different beast?
The GPS systems are great for tracking distances covered, tackles made, loads on the body and sprint speeds. Saying that, you can use that as a secondary measure but you can’t get away from the fact that we are football players.
We went alone, a couple of years back, and trained with the Ulster Rugby players. Obviously they have different markers – tackles, impacts – but when it came to speed, we were right up there with their fastest players. I registered about 9.7 metres per second in one of the sprints. Only [Ireland winger] Tommy Bowe was close.
We used GPS systems in 2012 and 2013 but, recently, we have concentrated on our game-plan. We found that some guys were looking to pass markers – 34 or 35km per hour sprints; 10 or 11km covered in games – but we got our priorities mixed up. We are footballers first, athletes second.
The best footballers are often the guys that bring a bag of balls with them to training and practice their skills.
Do you think GAA will eventually go professional?
I think it will. It might not happen for another 10 or 15 years and will require a sea change within the hierarchies of the clubs and county boards within the GAA.
For the last few years, players and managers, who are professionals to a certain extent, have moved away from that amateur mentality. Everyone would like to see it stay amateur but the demands now being placed on players are taking us in one direction.
I went to Australia last year [for the International Series] and it was so great for us amateurs to play these professionals from Australia. It is an amazing story to tell.
What is the etiquette on the Tyrone team bus? Senior players down the back?
No, quite the opposite. I like to be close to the front, near DVD player and TV. You get to have more of a say on what is shown but maybe it is because I am getting older and my sight is failing. The younger lads are the ones that race down the back but they’re always last when food and water is handed out.
Who is in charge of selecting the DVDs?
A couple of the guys are nominated to make the selections. Joe McMahon likes to put himself forward for that so he will often make the trip to Xtravision before an away trip. He puts himself up for the abuse but he enjoys it.
About eight or nine years ago, PS: I Love You was stuck on. I think Joe and Ryan McMenamin can take the credit for that. Secretly, it is one of those movies you enjoy but you don’t admit it to anyone and happily join in with the slagging.
Romantic comedies… life on the team bus must have changed over the years
100%. There used to be card schools going on near the back of the bus, with some guys getting fleeced half their weeks’ wages on a 30-minute trip to Clones. I say that, but it was, more often than not, a lad losing £20 or £30. It was good craic at the same time; there would be little sympathy.
That has been phased out in recent years. The danger of gambling is still there, only now people can lose 100s or 1,000s online and without everyone knowing.
Moy Tír Na nÓg GAA club are official suppliers of Sean Cavanagh to Tyrone GAA.And is life much different from 2002, when you broke into the team?
Hugely. Whenever I came in, for my first championship match, I went to a chippie, the night before, and got a chicken fillet burger and curry chips. That became my pre-match diet for years. On the morning of a match, my Mum would always serve up a full fry.
Now, it is all carbohydrates and overloading on proteins. Having chicken fillets and veggies for breakfast.
Seven or eight years ago, we would all go out for a few pints and a bit of craic on the night after a championship match. Now, players have their headphones on, after a match, and are worried anout getting the oxidants and antioxidants in. Recovery begins even before a ball is kicked.
Organising a night out, now, and getting the lads to go out for some drinks after a match is now a nightmare.
What are your other sporting interests away from GAA?
I play a bit of basketball and am a fan of the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. I am a big Manchester United supporter, too, and get over for games once or twice a season.
The troubles United have experienced over the last couple of seasons reminds me of when the Bulls had to play without Michael Jordan. It is only when a team is under pressure that you see the true characters and leaders are.
Michael Carrick was United’s most important player last season. Three or four years ago, we thought he was a passenger in a team of superstars. He has really stepped up and is crucial to that team now.
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