“It was all about winning; winning titles. You didn’t do it for the craic, you did it to win.”
Cathal McCarron
HAS there ever been a more accurate summation of the attitude required of a Tyrone defender?
For a decade the Red Hands wanted Cathal McCarron on their wall, they needed him on that wall and for a decade he did his duty by keeping the bad guys out.
A fortnight ago his watch ended and, burnt out from the constant strain of making the 300-mile round trip from Athy to Garvaghy three times a week, he stepped down. A native of Dromore, McCarron moved to Kildare in 2017 but single-mindedly continued to make the N9-N7-N50-N33-N2-A5 trip for training and games until he lost count of the number of times he’d sent: ‘Running late here boys, accident on the M50’ into the Tyrone WhatsApp group.
In the end, something had to give and he reckons manager Mickey Harte probably saw their retirement chat coming.
“I think Mickey might have been expecting it from talking to me over the last few months,” says McCarron.
“He was probably wondering over the last few years how I was fit to do it (the journey) but he respected my decision and wished that I was still living up at home.
“You have defenders there now that are doing a good job and he didn’t fight with me or fight for me to stay out of respect because he knows the journey I have been doing.”
McCarron was an unused substitute when Tyrone last won the All-Ireland back in 2008, his first year on the panel. Allstar nominations and Ulster titles followed as he built a reputation as an uncompromising, footballing man-marker but injury against Roscommon in the Super8s last year robbed him off a role in the Sam Maguire decider against Dublin. Despite regaining fitness, he wasn’t able to get his place back this year and so he walked away but he’ll continue to look over his shoulder.
“I know I’m going to miss it,” he says.
“Going to watch the boys playing Dublin in the League at Croke Park… I missed it. I know I’m going to miss the big days but I don’t really have regrets because I’ve had good days too, a lot of good days wearing the jersey and there’s no bad blood or ill-feeling.
“I wish the boys all the best, I messaged them into the group and I really hope they go on and win the All-Ireland this year because they’re definitely not far away.
“The way things have been going the last year or two, it looks like they’re shaping up nicely for a good crack at it. I really hope they win it because they deserve it for the work they put in.
“It was a really hard call (to quit) knowing that the team is there for an All-Ireland title. Even this year they have come on a bit more with the forward play which maybe had been letting Tyrone down on the big days this last few years.
“They have a good mix there now and I think they’re going to be a serious outfit for anybody to deal with this year. It’s going to take a good team to beat them at the business end of the year. If things fall right for them on the day, I think they’ll be very hard to beat.”
Understandably, he refuses to close the door on Tyrone. Getting off the road for a while may make it impossible to get back on it again but, on the other hand, it could recharge batteries that have dimmed with constant to be there and give everything.
“It’s hard to close the book,” he says.
“I wouldn’t call myself at retirement age. I’m 31, so I’m not over the hill.
“It’s funny, the last number of years you play and you train hard but there’s an awful lot more pressure playing now. There was always pressure playing but there’s more now.
“It’s hard to say that you enjoy playing because there’s so much pressure on you but then there’s the joy of winning and you forget about the pressure.
“You enjoy the feeling of winning and winning titles but when you’re actually on the field there is pressure, especially as a defender and a man-marker because you have to be at yourself every day when you’re marking quality forwards.
“I enjoyed the craic with the boys and going away for the weekends but ultimately it was all about winning; winning titles. You didn’t do it for the craic, you did it to win and thank God I had a good share of big days on the big stage.
“There have been plenty of highlights and winning the All-Ireland in my first year would be up there with the best of them. I thought at that stage they were going to come like clockwork but unfortunately they haven’t.
“It’s been a great journey and I don’t know what the future holds but I’m just going to enjoy the next few months playing a bit of club football and not having to do an awful journey every other night. I’m looking forward to getting a bit of down-time with Niamh and my daughter.
“Maybe we’ll book a summer holiday – I haven’t been on one in about 10 years!”
During those 10 years, McCarron was no stranger to controversy. He admitted stealing money to fuel a runaway gambling addiction and, during a spell in London that followed it, there was a brief foray into the world of pornography. Throughout it all, club and county were mainstays in what was a chaotic existence.
“My own struggles have been well documented,” he says.
“Having club football with Dromore and county football with Tyrone to play has got me through a hell of a lot. Maybe some people close to me thought it put pressure on me that I didn’t need but I felt that I needed it and it was a great distraction for me.
“To be part of it… You almost take for granted playing for your county when you’re playing and starting it’s like a normal way of life.
“But it’s a great privilege for anybody to play for your county and that’s not forgetting Dromore because to win three county titles was great as well.
“We won our first senior title in 2007 and that is up there with the best days of my career because it’s a day I’ll never forget.
“Even the recovery from gambling, the football helped me because it’s a great distraction and it kept me focused. When you’re recovering from gambling you’re almost in trouble when you’re not busy, you need to be kept busy.
“If I didn’t have the football I’d need to be doing something else. I’m always busy doing something – football or training or working… I never sit still and that’s what I need.”
He knows it will be important for him to fill that void when the day comes to hang up his boots but life in Athy with partner Niamh and their daughter is a welcome change of pace. The club pitch is near his house so gym sessions and pitch sessions are done and dusted by half nine - around the same time he was getting into his car to head home after training with Tyrone.
“Athy are knocking on the door for a senior championship, they were beat in the final last year, so they’re not far away either,” he says.
“It would be nice to help them win the title.”
McCarron says a transfer of allegiance to play for Kildare is unlikely but doesn’t rule it out. He doesn’t rule out a return to the Tyrone jersey either.
“It would have been nice to play another two or three years with Tyrone at that level but I’m not going to close the door,” he said.
”Who’s to say, I could be feeling refreshed next year and refuelled and I could feel up to it again. When I said I was hanging up the boots, people took it that was me finished but I’ll play it by ear.
“I think I was burnt out. I was landing at training at five or 10 past seven. We were out on the field at half seven so you weren’t loosened out and coming prepared for training or getting up to the speed levels you should be because you’re just not ready for it.
“Next year I could be doing a different job that might suit county football more. I’ll not say ‘I’m never, ever’ going to play for Tyrone again, I don’t know what’s round the corner.”
Limping off the field against Roscommon last July wasn’t the end he wanted but maybe this is just another fork on the road?
