Tyrone is where the Harte is

MICKEY HARTE is committed to staying on as manager with Tyrone, with the aim of delivering a third All-Ireland football title.

However, he conceded in Dublin yesterday that he could only hope his players would have the 'appetite' to succeed in winning back-to-back titles in 2006.

Harte, who wasn't prepared to rule out a Peter Canavan return, said that while his appointment was 'up for renewal' after a three-year term, he retained his enthusiasm for the job.

"I'm not burned out. It's hard work, it's been difficult at times and has been rewarding at times. Maybe that's what life is like!''

But he is adamant the players won't feel satisfied with two medals.

"They are going to work hard to get a third one somewhere along the line. How many years that will take, who knows, but I think I'd like to be there at the beginning of the trial to do that......''

Harte wondered if Tyrone could have coped better with the pressure of having won in 2003 if Cormac McAnallen had not died. But, they hadn't handled it well, he felt.

"Maybe at three-quarter pace they can stay with a lot of teams,'' he commented. "But, that extra 25% is hard to get when you already have your medal. But, we all knew what we were missing last year. Then, maybe we got that appetite back again. Whether we can manage that in 2006 who knows, I'll tell you this time next year.''

While acknowledging Canavan had valid reasons for wanting to retire, he didn't think this was the time to announce his decision.

"It requires a lot, physically, to play at the required intensity for 70 minutes and maybe looking forward at this stage, he's saying that he's not prepared to do that. Maybe when the championship comes around next year and the bug bites again, he might be influenced that it mightn't be as definitive an announcement as he made last night (Sunday).''

Harte expressed stronger views about Sean Cavanagh 'staying' with Gaelic football and went further by saying he would prefer not to see him involved with the Irish team in the International Rules Series.

"Sean would know my views where he should go and where he should be. I wouldn't even have him go on the 'compromise rules' tour. I don't have a lot of time for that 'hybrid.' I'll not call it nonsense, but (it's) not a game. I hope he puts all his efforts into Gaelic football. He would be so much the better for being a Gaelic football exponent over the next decade.

"If went to the top in the AFL, who knows and who cares? Not me.''

Reflecting on Sunday's game, Harte said that while their prolonged campaign was to their benefit, that wasn't to say that it was the 'definitive formula' for winning anything.

"The way things worked out for us, the extra games, the draws and the quality of our opponents helped us along the way. Some people thought we'd be jaded and too tired, but our training programme was geared to being fresh at this time of the year.''

His team went 'closest' to being knocked out when they went behind by two points in the third game with Armagh, he said.

"That was the day that we clawed out of the biggest hole,'' he said.

"I think the team was very well focused, ready but relaxed. There was a great relaxation about this team, not one that leads to complacency, but one that leads to people being able to give of their best. It's a fine line to get that balance, I do feel we had it this year. This has been like a club side this year, we have been together for the entire summer. They never got a week to prepare with their clubs for championship.

"It was hard on the clubs but because of our draws and the short time span, that's the way it had to happen.''

The 'Cormac' (McAnallen) factor hadn't been spoken about very much this year, but it remained an important part 'of the fabric of their group,' he pointed out.

"That is something you just can't draw out of a hat. That was real life and everybody had their own way of dealing with that, moving forward from it and having their own reasons for doing something special. Maybe that was the real bonding exercise for this year. This was fulfillment for Cormac. He won one All-Ireland at 23 and just didn't want to leave it like that. He couldn't get any more, physically as it were, in this world, but I do know for a fact he got 30 more on Sunday.''

Early yesterday, Harte and team captain Brian Dooher visited Crumlin Childrens' Hospital, as the Cork hurlers had done the morning after their final. It helped to put things 'in perspective' for them, he said. And it gave 'a lift' to the young patients and their families.

"It is a privilege to do that through Gaelic Games. It's not just about cups and champions. It's being able to influence people's lives for the better and we certainly had first hand experience of that this morning.''