Sean Cavanagh: Win over Dublin would see Tyrone back at the top table of football

Three-time All-Ireland winner Cavanagh is confident that Tyrone can pull off a win which he feels would be as big as their 2021 final success.

Tyrone's Sean Cavanagh is looking forward to facing Dublin at Croke Park. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne.

Sean Cavanagh reckons that the losers of Saturday evening's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final tie between Tyrone and Dublin will end the season with a pile of regrets.

Three-time All-Ireland winner Cavanagh is confident, however, that Tyrone can pull off a win which he feels would be as big as their 2021 final success and which would 're-announce ourselves back at the top table of football'.

Since that final win over Mayo four years ago, Tyrone have played 20 Championship games and won just nine, a poor return that has seen them exit at the qualifier (2022), quarter-final (2023) and preliminary quarter-final (2024) stages since.

Only once in that period have they managed to put back-to-back wins together in the Championship, against Clare and Cork last year, and their patchy record so far this summer reads; win, loss, win, loss, win. They were also relegated from Division 1 earlier this year, albeit on seven points.

Tyrone did, significantly, beat Donegal in their All-Ireland SFC group and former captain Cavanagh feels the rebuilding that has taken place in Tyrone in recent seasons is on the verge of paying dividends.

Speaking ahead of the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor championship finals, the five-time All-Star predicted that the 'sight of Croke Park and the sight of the Dubs and the sky blue jersey will definitely bring out whatever is in those players right now'.

But, as is the case for Dublin, a loss would leave Tyrone's entire season feeling unfulfilled.

"I think both Tyrone and Dublin will look to that game on Saturday night and think that this is our chance to make the entire 2025 season successful," said Cavanagh. "Because I think that whatever team loses, it'll be a disappointing year for them.

"But, again, whatever team wins, it's their chance to go, 'Okay, we weren't totally expecting to be in a semi-final but this can drive us on'. And I think they'd compete well in the semi-finals from there on.

"It's a great draw for both sides. Usually I'm not one for sitting on the fence but I think both teams will look at it in a very similar fashion.

"There'll be that level of intrigue with the sort of magic and history of the game but equally I think from where the teams are at right now, I think both teams need a big performance, need a big statement win."

Michael McKernan's shoulder injury looks set to rule him out for Tyrone while there's a question mark over Con O'Callaghan's hamstring injury, despite assurances that he will be fit to feature for Dublin.

From Tyrone's perspective, Cavanagh feels they're a squad just waiting to cut loose after a rebuild of sorts in the wake of their last All-Ireland win.

"It's only really now that we feel that we're kind of back where Tyrone football should be," said the Moy man.

"But equally, and this kind of goes back to needing to win on Saturday evening, would beating Cavan and beating Donegal represent a great Championship season for Tyrone? I don't think so.

"And look, the Donegal game was brilliant, a good performance, but I think we need more this year. So where we find ourselves is that if we want to get more, then we have to take out the Dubs in Croke Park. 

"You can flip that around very quickly and say to the lads, 'Look, what an opportunity this is for that team to really go and announce themselves'.

"I think if we were to come to Croke Park and beat the Dubs, that would be as good a performance as we had in the All-Ireland in '21. What a chance it is to re-announce ourselves back at the top table of football."

Cavanagh's sense is that Tyrone's rebuild is almost complete with recent All-Ireland U-20 winners, like Eoin McElholm, beginning to filter through.

"There's a big opportunity in the next few years in Tyrone to go back to being in All-Ireland semi-finals and finals, and expecting to be there," said Cavanagh.

"I think watching our neighbours Armagh win last year, and seeing where they're at at the minute, as probably the form team in the country, that will have stoked the fires enough for us to say, 'Yeah, we have to get back and we have the talent to get back there and we have the management team to get back'.

"It feels like all the building blocks are there for us to do it. It's just about time that we have to arrive now."