On the biggest day of their season so far, the ever-reliable Canavan brothers led Errigal to arguably the toughest Championship in the country.
Alone Ruairi Canavan scored half of Errigal's twelve points, three from play and three from the spot. Include his brother Darragh's two points and two-thirds of Errigal's final scoreline came from one of Gaelic Football's most renowned families.
Errigal's twelve points saw them overcome reigning Tyrone champions Trillick by the tightest of margins, Trillick's one goal and eight points proving just too little to become the first club to successfully defend the title since 2005.
It was Trillick who came racing out of the blocks first, launching themselves ahead by two points before Errigal had time to settle. However, having had time to size up their opponents, it wasn't long before the Canavan brothers had made the Tyrone County final a tense affair.
Darragh Canavan knocks over a superb solo effort to put @ErrigalCiaran1 a point up against @trillickgaa before the break. HT: 0-07 - 0-06 @TyroneGAALive @UlsterGAA pic.twitter.com/ymM74dVlIm
— Tony Fearon (@tony_fearon1982) October 25, 2024
Going in at halftime Errigal led by a point thanks to a sensational effort from Darragh Canavan, but in a similar fashion to the first half, Trillick wasted no time after the break and levelled off the affair quickly. However, as Errigal's confidence grew so too did the immense pressure on Trillick's defence, which eventually gave way as the reigning champions fell to a four-point deficit by the time the clock hit forty.
While a Trillick goal and point brought the final quarterback alive, the brilliance of Ruairi Canavan nicked the most dramatic of winners with ten minutes left on the clock.
Ruairi Canavan hails the Tyrone Championship as best-in-class
While after captaining Errigal Ciaran's to county glory Darragh Canavan was obviously emotional, the Tyrone star made a bold claim about the quality of the Tyrone Championship that he'll be hoping will bode well for his side when they start their Ulster SFC campaign.
I've lost my voice too, so that made it harder than it already is to talk up there, it's an unbelievable feeling and it's a very special one for us now.
They're (Trillick) unreal champions now, they fought right until the end, again you expect no less. Great champions, they'll be back, I wouldn't be too worried about that. We tried last year (to win back to back Tyrone championships) and failed, we're just happy to get over the line this year.
It's the best Championship in Ireland bar none in my opinion.
We'll give it (Ulster) a good rattle. We'll definitely enjoy these next few days, then we'll get back to business and give it a good rattle.
🎙️ Darragh Canavan and Peter Harte joined us after tonight's victory to discuss another historic night for the Aireagal Chiaráin club 🏆#RefuseToLose pic.twitter.com/GchgTt3crr
— Tyrone GAA (@TyroneGAALive) October 25, 2024
Darragh Canavan, his brother Ruairi and the Tyrone Champions will now have a quick turnaround before they play Donegal champions St. Eunan's Letterkenny, in an Ulster Club SFC preliminary quarter-final next weekend.
While Errigal might be keen to celebrate their county win, the postponement of their final due to Storm Ashley from last weekend to this weekend means they'll be fighting against time to get ready for their preliminary quarter-finals.
Their opposition, however, have had no such issues. With the Donegal SFC having concluded two weeks ago, St. Eunan's Letterkenny will have had a three-week run into their clash with Canavan's Errigal Ciaran.
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