Peter Canavan
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Sport | Gaelic football | ||
Position | Forward | ||
Born |
Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland | 9 April 1971||
Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
Nickname |
Peter 'The Great',[1][2] 'Petrol Pete' | ||
Occupation | Teacher[3] | ||
Club(s) | |||
Years | Club | ||
1990–2007 | Errigal Ciarán | ||
Club titles | |||
Tyrone titles | 6 | ||
Ulster titles | 2 | ||
Inter-county(ies)** | |||
Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1989–2005 | Tyrone | 49 (9–191 (218))[4] | |
Inter-county titles | |||
Ulster titles | 5 | ||
All-Irelands | 2 | ||
NFL | 2 | ||
All Stars | 6 | ||
**Inter County team apps and scores correct as of (22:03, 21 December 2006 (UTC))[5]. |
Peter Canavan (born 9 April 1971[6]) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer, manager and pundit.
He played inter-county football for
His scoring record of 218 points is the fourth highest of all time in the
Since retiring as a player, he has managed the Fermanagh county team (2011–2013).
Early life and family
Canavan is from Glencull, near
In 2003, just over a week before Tyrone's Ulster final appearance against Down, Canavan's father, Seán, died. It came as a shock to Canavan, who had thought his father (who was already in hospital) was getting better. He decided to play in the match, stating that he knew, subconsciously "[he] was going to be playing in the Ulster final all along and Daddy certainly wouldn't have wanted [him] to do anything but play."[18]
Canavan has suffered from asthma since he was a child, and has battled throughout his career to control the ailment. He told the Asthma Society of Ireland, "I thought to myself, this is something that I am just going to have to put up with." In later years, however, improved medication has afforded Canavan what he described as, "a better quality of life".[19]
Under-age career
To play for an
In 1988, Canavan won the Ulster minor Championship, an under eighteens tournament, but lost in the All-Ireland semi-final to Kerry. The crux of this team, including Adrian Cush, Ciaran Corr and others, would stay together as part of the senior team for most of the nineties. Canavan captained Tyrone to two
Early senior career: 1993–1998
Canavan's name was already known around Tyrone because of his exploits for the Under 21 team,
1995 All-Ireland Final
Throughout the
Tyrone reached their second All-Ireland Final in 1995, and were up against Dublin who hadn't won a Championship since the 1980s. In a turgid match, Canavan scored eleven of Tyrone's twelve points in the, but still ended up on the losing side. The game was remembered as contentious for Tyrone fans, for the fact that a point that would have equalised the match in the dying seconds was controversially disallowed, because the blind-sided referee deemed Canavan to have touched the ball on the ground.[13] The referee, Paddy Russell stated in his autobiography that he was certain the ball was on the ground, but Canavan contested in the same book that he managed to get elevation on the ball as he punched, which would have been very difficult to do if it was touching the ground.[23] He was the top scorer in Ireland that year, with a total of 1–38,[5] earning him the inaugural Footballer of the Year title.[21] The fact that Canavan's scoring tally was so far ahead of his peers on the team led to suggestions that Tyrone were depending too heavily on him.[13]
1996: Injury
For the
1998–2000: International stage
During a weak period for Tyrone Seniors in the late 1990s, Canavan represented
Late senior career
Tyrone were one of the favourites for the
2003: Championship glory
In 2003, Canavan shook off his tag as 'the greatest player never to win an All-Ireland',[16][32] captaining Tyrone to their first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. As he approached the podium on Croke Park's Hogan Stand after the final, his nervousness was visible, and after being handed the trophy, he made an emotional speech about how he had to enviously watch other Ulster teams lift the Sam Maguire Cup, but "to eventually win it is something else."[33]
His appearance in the final was remarkable for the fact that he was the top scorer of the day with five points,[34] despite having suffered an ankle injury in the previous match, and was not expected (or advised) to play.[9] He started the final and was taken off before half time. During the break, and even some way into the second half, he was receiving treatment to his ankle, including pain-killing injections.
With ten minutes remaining, he was reintroduced by manager Mickey Harte,[33] likely due to his experience as the only member of the team who had played in an All-Ireland final before. This reintroduction, while not the first time it had happened (blood substitutions had been used sporadically, for example), was seen as one of the greatest moments in the GAA in the last forty years.[35]
In the drawn Ulster final against Down, Canavan was playing a week after the death of his father. He remarked in his autobiography that he feared Tyrone were going to lose by one of the biggest margins in Ulster Championship history, if they didn't stem the flow of the Down attack.[36][37] When Tyrone were awarded a penalty, Canavan stepped up, due to Stephen O'Neill (the first choice penalty-taker) being on the bench. He took the kick, and managed to find the net, later describing it as "the most important [kick] of my career," citing the fact that if Tyrone had been heavily beaten, they probably wouldn't have been able to pick themselves up to play in the 'back door' qualifier series.[38]
Over the course of the
He became the first GAA star to gain an honorary doctorate from the
Following the 2003 final, Canavan relinquished the captaincy to Cormac McAnallen, but the 24-year-old died shortly after taking up the position. This tragedy adversely affected the mindset of the team, and they were unable to defend their All-Ireland.[43]
2005: Championship swan song
Canavan was used mostly as an 'impact substitute' throughout the
In the All-Ireland semi-final against Armagh (who were meeting Tyrone for the third time that year), Canavan scored with the last kick of the game, winning the match for Tyrone.[45] Kevin McStay, a former Mayo player, described it as the point of the season, despite the free kick being from a relatively straightforward position.[46]
Mickey Harte chose Canavan on the starting line-up of the All-Ireland final and went on to score Tyrone's only goal, winning on a scoreline of 1–16 to 2–10.[47]
He retired from inter-county football following this performance with a sixth All Star, ending a sixteen-year tenure in Senior championship football.[48] He said of his decision, "I have spent enough time on the treatment table", referring to the instances where he played while carrying potentially career-threatening injuries, as he had done in 1996 and 2003. Canavan's appearance in the 2005 final (his last game for Tyrone), was his forty-ninth Championship match.
Other inter-county successes
Canavan was part of both Tyrone sides that won the
Club career
After retiring from inter-county football, he continued to play at club level for
Disciplinary problems
His career features some instances of indiscipline,[54][55] which, like many players of the era, included occasional on-pitch scuffles with other players.[26]Jack O'Connor, Kerry's manager in the 2005 All-Ireland final suggested in his autobiography that Canavan tackled Colm Cooper off the ball, preventing him getting into a goal-scoring position,[56] a claim backed up by Sunday Tribune journalist, Kieran Shannon.[57]
Management career
Canavan was appointed manager of Fermanagh in November 2011 on a three-year term to be reviewed annually, with trainer Kieran Donnelly and selector Enda Kilpatrick joining him.[58] His first game against Antrim, saw Fermanagh winning by a scoreline of 2 – 11 to 1 – 06.
He stepped down as Fermanagh manager in September 2013.[59]
However, Canavan was not out of management for long. He was appointed manager of Cavan Gaels in December 2013.[60] He guided them to their 1st Senior Championship in 3 years in October 2014, defeating Kingscourt Stars in the final by a point.[61] This was seen as a huge success for Canavan and the Cavan Gaels Club.
After delivering the Oliver Plunkett trophy back to the Cavan town club, he then went on to become a selector with the Tyrone under-21 panel in 2015. He was part of the management team which consisted of Feargal Logan (manager) and Brian Dooher. They guided the under-21s to an Ulster Final victory against Donegal in Celtic Park, and subsequently, to the All-Ireland title, defeating Tipperary in the final.
When Mickey Harte left as Tyrone senior manager in 2020, Canavan ruled himself out due to family involvement and did not join Logan and Dooher, who were subsequently appointed as Harte's successors.[62][63]
Media career
Canavan has written a column for the
He is a Gaelic football analyst for the BBC and RTÉ,[67][68] and previously for Sky Sports.[69]
Individual honours
- In May 2020, a public poll conducted by RTÉ.ie named Canavan in the half-forward line alongside Pat Spillane and Diarmuid Connolly in a team of footballers who had won All Stars during the era of The Sunday Game.[70]
- Also in May 2020, the Irish Independent named Canavan at number three in its "Top 20 footballers in Ireland over the past 50 years".[71]
References
- ^ O'Sullivan, Jim (19 June 2004). "Peter the Great ready to answer Tyrone's call". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ^ a b Walsh, David (28 August 1996). "Gaelic games". The Sunday Times.
- ^ a b "Player Profiles – Tyrone". 2005 All-Ireland Final Match Programme. DBA Publishing. 25 September 2005.
- ^ a b c d "Ulster's hot-shots". BBC Sport. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Curran, Kenny (September 2005). "Will this All-Ireland be the last chapter in the Canavan story?". Team Talk (45). All-Star Publications, Ltd.: 14–19.
- ^ A, P; O'Neill, Sean (9 April 2018). "On This Day - April 9 1971: Tyrone GAA legend Peter Canavan was born". The Irish News. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
- ^ Martin Breheny (26 November 2005). "Big three sweep awards boards". Irish Independent Online. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ a b "Ireland are go!". Hogan Stand. 30 October 1999. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f John Haughey (26 September 2005). "Canavan's remarkable career". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ Press Box Lad (3 October 2003). "Two Bald Eagles: Peter The Great and Lion Hearted Leo". An Fear Rua. Archived from the original on 6 April 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ McEvoy, Enda; Kieran Shannon, Dave Hannigan (and PJ Cunningham, Malachy Clerkin and Pat Nugent) (4 January 2009). "125 Most Influential People in GAA History". Sunday Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 August 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Jerome Quinn (27 May 2002). "Peter's loss lamented". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
- ^ a b c Sean Ryan (7 August 2005). "Tyrone and Canavan came up short in 'eyesore' final". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- The Belfast Telegraph. 24 June 1996.
- ^ a b c d Rodgers, Alan (17 October 2008). "Candid Canavan". Gaelic Life. pp. 20–21.
- ^ University of Ulster. 30 October 2003. Archived from the originalon 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Learning at school". BBC Sport. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
- ISBN 0-9546616-0-5.
- ^ "Peter Canavan – Life With Asthma". irishhealth.com. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Canavan biography in Hogan Stand magazine". Hogan Stand. 8 November 1991. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ a b c d e "Football All Stars". Hogan Stand. Archived from the original on 4 February 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "The Artful Manager". Culture Northern Ireland. 14 April 2006. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-84596-391-0.
- ^ Martin Breheny (4 August 2007). "Return of the Royals". Irish Independent. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ^ a b "Tyrone can maintain progress". BBC Sport. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ a b Rodgers, Alan (17 October 2008). "Five moments that define Peter the Great". Gaelic Life. p. 21.
- ^ "Canavan out of Rules series". BBC Sport. 7 September 2001. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
- ^ Peter P (7 January 2006). "GAA debates International Rules, AFL recruiting, and own international dimension". World Footy News. Retrieved 23 April 2007.
- ^ "Tyrone stunned by Sligo". BBC Sport. 21 July 2002.
- ^ "Tyrone win predicted in 1997". BBC Sport. 2 October 2003.
- ^ "Tyrone Profile". Hogan Stand. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
- ^ Orla Bannon (26 September 2003). "GAA: Praying for Saint Peter". Daily Mirror.
- ^ a b "Tyrone are All-Ireland champions". BBC Sport. 28 September 2003. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
- ^ a b "Captain fantastic Canavan scoops readers' top award". Irish Independent. 20 January 2004. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
- ^ "Wayback Machine cache of RTÉ Sport's announcements of the nominees". RTÉ.ie. Archived from the original on 22 April 2005.
- ^ "Clones thriller ends in draw". BBC Sport. 13 July 2003. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ISBN 0-9546616-0-5.
- ISBN 0-9546616-0-5.
- ^ "Tyrone destroy dismal Derry". RTÉ Sport. 24 May 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ^ "Disappointing Down no match for silky Tyrone". RTÉ Sport. 20 July 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ^ "Canavan wins BBC award". BBC News. BBC Sport. 6 December 2003. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Whole of Ireland Behind Peter Canavan's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Campaign". 10 December 2003. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "McAnallen death overshadows year". BBC News. 28 December 2004. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ "Armagh take Ulster title in scrappy affair". RTÉ Sport. 23 July 2005. Retrieved 4 March 2007.
- ^ "Armagh 1–12 1–13 Tyrone ALL-IRELAND SEMI-fINAL". BBC Sport. 4 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Kevin McStay Column". Hogan Stand. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2007.
- ^ "Tyrone triumph in Croker decider". BBC Sport. 25 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Lawn joins Canavan in retirement". BBC Sport. 26 September 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Canavan Runs for the Spirit of Paul McGirr". The Spirit of Paul McGirr website. 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
- ^ "Errigal Ciaran achievements". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Canavan wins first Tyrone All-Star". Hogan Stand. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- ^ "Canavan to manage Errigal". The Irish Times. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 29 December 2008.
- ^ Kevin Kelly (12 November 2009). "Final flourish sees Errigal home". Ulster Herald.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Keys, Colm (30 April 1998). "Tyrone ace Canavan's jaw broken". The Mirror. p. 36.
- ^ Jerome Quinn (26 September 2001). "Jerome Quinn: My End of Season Awards". BBC Sport.
- ISBN 978-1-84488-153-6.
- ^ Shannon, Keiran (12 February 2006). "A history of violence". Sunday Tribune.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Canavan appointed Fermanagh manager". RTÉ Sport. 21 November 2011. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ Keys, Colm (3 September 2013). "Peter Canavan decides to opt out after two years as Fermanagh manager". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
- ^ "Peter Canavan ratified as new manager of Cavan Gaels". The42. 12 December 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Lyng seals the deal to leave Kingscourt seeing stars". Independent. 12 October 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Logan and Dooher team up as new Tyrone managers". Hogan Stand. 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Canavan not interested in succeeding Harte". Hogan Stand. 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Canavan's Hogan Stand column regarding the decision by the GAA to abolish Rule 42". Hogan Stand. 10 May 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
- The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 August 2007. [dead link]
- TV3 (Ireland). Retrieved 15 January 2010.)
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link - ^ "Dublin v Cavan semi-final should not be at Croke Park - Canavan". 22 November 2020.
- ^ "Jacqui Hurley named as new Sunday Game host as Peter Canavan joins RTÉ's Championship team". The Irish News. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ "14 live games confirmed as Sky Sports announce 2020 championship coverage". 7 October 2020.
- ^ "The final XV". RTÉ Sport. 29 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- Independent News & Media. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
External links