Gerard Cavlan
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Half Forward | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
?-present | Dungannon | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1993-present | Tyrone | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 5 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NFL | 2 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Gerard Cavlan is a Tyrone Gaelic footballer. He is one of the veterans of the team, surviving from the mid-1990s, along with Brian Dooher. He was part of the teams that won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 2003.
Cavlan represented Ireland in the 2000 International Rules Series against Australia[1]
His playing style is one of creative playmaker and can switch between the half forward position to the midfield. His work rate is often very high, and he can also pick off seemingly difficult scores from open play.
He made his senior debut in 1993 against Wexford, at the age of 17.[2]
His breakthrough year was in 1996, when he was a key player in Tyrone's march to the All-Ireland semi final, and he scored six points in that match.
In 2006, shortly after Tyrone were knocked out of the All-Ireland championship uncharacteristically early, Cavlan was one of several Tyrone players who took up the option to play for an American GAA club in a 'ringer'-type situation.[3]
In the 2007 Ulster Championship first round, Cavlan came on as a substitute, and scored an injury time free kick to win the game for Tyrone, against their neighbours, Fermanagh.[4]
Outside football
Cavlan was embroiled in off-field controversy in April 2006, when the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) seized a dangerous dog from Cavlan's Dungannon home, suspected of being used for dogfighting. The dog was found in a healthy state, and Cavlan maintained that he did not own the dog, or condone dog fighting.[5]
On 23rd of April 2007 Calvan changed his plea to guilty and was fined £650, banned for five years from owning a terrier-type dog and ordered to pay costs of £4,300. [6] A BBC Spotlight investigation screened on 30 August 2007 claimed Cavlan was a "ringleader" in a major dog fighting operation.[7] The report claimed that Cavlan was a senior member of The Bulldog Sanctuary Kennels, operating in Tyrone. A BBC undercover reporter infiltrated another operation called the Farmers Boys in Armagh, which had links to Cavlan. In the programme Cavlan was filmed stating he had up to 15 pit bulls, and stated of one dog "Sure he had him in the chest, and he shook him and he shook him for 25 minutes... if he hadn't got you killed in half an hour... he was in trouble, you know. A real hard mouthed dog."
Many people believe he should be stripped of all his awards, and locked up
If the world is ever taken over by dogs, Gerard will be made their slave. He will be made to fight against members of the Farmer's Boys until the end.
A disgrace to the GAA. He should be banned for life.
External links
 | This Gaelic football biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ^ "Canavan left out of Rules squad". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ^ "Cavlan, Gerard 09 June 1995". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ^ "Tyrone Players head for USA". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ^ Fermanagh 1-9 0-13 Tyrone, retrieved 2007-05-20
- ^ "USPCA denies bungling operation". Retrieved 2007-03-08.
- ^ "GAA star fined for dangerous dog". Retrieved 2007-04-23.
- ^ BBC "GAA star 'dog fight ringleader'". Retrieved 2007-08-30.
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