Canty: ‘I enjoyed every second and never took it for granted’

Graham Canty calls it a day over a pot of tea in a quiet hostelry in Cork city. No great hysteria. No blaze of score-settling: the last Cork man to lift Sam Maguire was calm and measured. In character.

“People might think I’ve been unlucky with injuries, but I played 14 years intercounty, and enjoyed every second of it — big league games and small, championship games, training. I enjoyed it all and I never took it for granted.

“You have to be aware that you’re never far away from it all being gone — not just through injury, but work circumstances may change, family life, you could lose form. Luckily for me those all aligned and I was able to play for Cork.”