Gerard Cavlan

Infobox GAA player |

name = Gerard Cavlan
irish =
placeofbirth= Tyrone
countryofbirth= Northern Ireland
bday=02
bmonth=04
byear=1976
dday=
dmonth=
dyear=
nickname=
feet=6
inches=1
occupation=
sport= Gaelic football
code= Football
county= Tyrone
province= Ulster
clposition= Half Forward
club= Dungannon Thomas Clarkes
clyears= ?-present
clapps(points)=
clcounty=
clprovince=
clubs=Dungannon
counties= Tyrone
icposition= Half Forward
icyears= 1993-2007
icapps(points)=
icprovince=5
icallireland=1
allstars=0
nfl=2
icupdate=21:58, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
clupdate=
|

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 [cite web |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/northern_ireland/921877.stm | title=Canavan left out of Rules squad | accessdate=2007-03-08]

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. [cite web |url= http://www.hoganstand.com/Tyrone/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=43861 | title= Cavlan, Gerard 09 June 1995|accessdate= 2007-03-08]

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. [cite web | url= http://www.thestar.ie/sports/tyrone_players_head_for_usa.402.224.html | title= Tyrone Players head for USA | accessdate= 2007-03-08]

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. [citation | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/the_championship/6674589.stm | title = Fermanagh 1-9 0-13 Tyrone | accessdate = 2007-05-20]

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 (Cannon Ball) was found in a healthy state but with large amounts of scarring, Cavlan maintained that he did not own the dog, or condone dog fighting. [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4932576.stm | title= USPCA denies bungling operation|accessdate=2007-03-08]

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. [cite web| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6584465.stm | title= GAA star fined for dangerous dog|accessdate=2007-04-23] A BBC Spotlight investigation screened on 30 August 2007 claimed Cavlan was a "ringleader" in a major dog fighting operation. [cite web| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6969651.stm BBC | title= GAA star 'dog fight ringleader'|accessdate=2007-08-30] 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 a dozen or fifteen 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." Cavlan was also filmed discussing plans to retrieve Cannon Ball from the British Army's Palace Barracks, where the dog was being held on behalf of the USPCA. [cite web| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6970000/newsid_6972000/6972097.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1 | title = (WMV) Watch Panorama Special on Dog Fighting (35:34 mins into the film)|accessdate=2007-09-04]

Cavlan has since been dropped from the Tyrone panel, although it is unestablished if this is due to his off-field activities.

References

External links

* [http://www.hoganstand.com/Tyrone/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=43861 Short fact file from 1995]