Owen Mulligan is not merely Peter Canavan's sidekick. The Fr Rocks clubman is as integral a part of Mickey Harte's plans as the legendary O'Neill County captain and has been a key factor in Tyrone's progression to the final of the 2003 All-Ireland SFC. With frightening firepower, Tyrone have established themselves as genuine 2003 All-Ireland contenders. The O'Neill County have been racking up awesome tallies in the championship so far this year, with twin attacking terrors Peter Canavan and Owen Mulligan doing most of the damage. Mulligan in particular has wreaked havoc in opposing defences all summer long and is long odds-on to receive an All Star for his eye-catching efforts. Prior to then, the Cookstown star could also be collecting an All-Ireland medal on September 28th. That's the plan, anyway... A lot has been made in the media of the Canavan-Mulligan teacher-student relationship and the fact that 'Peter The Great' has been Owen's mentor-in-chief for most of his career. However, it's worth remembering that the latter is now a senior intercounty footballer in his own right - has been for three seasons! - and he's clearly not living in anyone's shadow. His performances to date in this year's premier competition have been imbued with flair, determination and ruthless efficiency. The damage Mulligan inflicts on opposing teams is colossal and the Fr Rocks clubman represents an enormous threat to Armagh's prospects in the 2003 All-Ireland SFC final. No wonder Fr Rocks chairman Adrian Gilmore is full of praise for the club's young talisman: "Owen is not only a first-class talent but also a wonderful ambassador for the club," he notes. "The whole club scene in Tyrone has been held up due to the county's All-Ireland bid but Fr Rocks are going very well [unbeaten in the league with ten wins out of ten at the time of writing] and Owen is a big influence on the team." Fr Rocks GFC in Cookstown is the oldest club in Tyrone and one of the oldest in Ulster. The club was founded in 1889 but senior championship honours have proved elusive since back-to-back titles were annexed in 1916-17. However, with Owen Mulligan and an exciting crop of fresh talent at their disposal, hopes are high that this statistic will change sooner rather than later: "Owen played his first senior game for the club seven years ago when he was 15," Adrian points out. "He is a fantastic player and has a great attitude. He's brilliant with the youth in the club. He gave great encouragement and support to last year's U16s. He spoke to the players before the county final and went into the dressing room again after they had won it and told the young lads that he wished he was 16 again. All this even though he won an U16 league and championship double with the club himself! That's typical of Owen ... his enthusiasm is boundless ... he'd love to have been out there playing alongside the lads! "Even though he's still only 22, Owen is a wonderful role model and it's amazing the way all the youngsters in the club look up to him. It's a very healthy situation because in a lot of ways it's similar to how he used to look up to Peter Canavan himself. "I think he's learned a great deal from Peter and he puts an awful lot back in. Even though he has so many other commitments, playing and training with the club and county, he coaches and helps out with the club's U14s and U16s and makes an extra big effort. "Owen was always a wonderful prospect but it has been great to watch his progress into such a big strong player with such an imposing physical presence. He's already a force to be reckoned with and the amazing thing is that he's still improving with every game." A truly frightening thought indeed! At 22, Mulligan already has a glittering intercounty cv ... a senior All-Ireland medal is virtually the only remaining blank. Things are looking equally good on the club front. As well as Owen, Fr Rocks had five other players donning the county colours this year - two U21s (Peter Armour and Barry Mulligan) and three minors (Barry Hughes, Raymond Mulgrew and Martin Murray). They also had SIX U16s and one U15! "At youth level, we are one of the strongest clubs in the county at the moment. We won the minor league and reached the championship final last year and also did the double at U16 level. We'll be challenging again at all levels this year. But it's going to take a lot of hard work, time and patience to bring these players through to senior level. "We've also represented Tyrone in the Feile six years in a row up until last year and one of those teams won an All-Ireland, which we feel could be a very significant achievement. Ballinderry did the same and, as everybody knows, they went on to win the All-Ireland club title." Incidentally, Ballinderry and Fr Rocks are only five miles apart. And as many as 10 of Ballinderry's All-Ireland winning panel actually live in County Tyrone! Regarding his own club, Adrian continues: "Fr Rocks has benefited enormously from having Peter Canavan teaching and coaching in the school [Holy Trinity, Cookstown], because he really is a first-class coach. Even though Peter's from another club, he has done a lot for us and it's appreciated. That man has done so much for gaelic football in Tyrone and Ulster. He has lifted Tyrone football to a higher level than it was ever at before. "We're actually hoping that Fr Rocks will be the club to succeed Errigal Chiarain as the top club in Tyrone. We currently have a membership of 250 and are fielding teams at all grades, as well as ladies football. We're going strong on all fronts. Our senior team is being looked after this year by two Derry men - Noel Mullen (manager) and 1993 All-Ireland winner Gary Coleman (coach), who's a great influence." Owen Mulligan was born on June 3rd 1981. He started school at Drummullan Primary School, County Derry, where his late uncle Sean Mulligan was Principal. Drummullan PS straddles the Tyrone/Derry border, where the simmering rivalry between the two counties is at its most intense. Under Sean's coaching expertise, Owen and his cousin Barry (who won an All-Ireland minor medal in 2001) helped Drummullan win their first South Derry PS championship in 1992. From Drummullan, Owen moved to St Pius's, Magherafelt before finishing his education at Holy Trinity College, Cookstown. With the legendary Peter Canavan teaching at the school and managing the team, Owen played a prominent part in helping Holy Trinity win their first All-Ireland senior championship. Owen completed his studies at Holy Trinity and opted to pursue a career in the building industry. Gaelic football isn't the only sport Owen Mulligan excels at. In 2001, he joined his brother Stephen in Australia and the pair helped Brisbane Shamrocks win the Queensland senior championship. While in Australia, Owen came under the notice of Brisbane Lions scout Shane Johnston who showed particular interest in the young Irish star and invited Owen to several Aussie Rules games in the "Gabba", where he met all the players. The Brisbane Lions' public relations office arranged for Owen to participate in several Aussie Rules games with junior side Jindalee Magpies and he actually received the Man of the Match award in his first game! Owen decided to return to Ireland later that year but still keeps in touch with Shane Johnston, who is following his progress with Tyrone with tremendous interest. Throughout his career, Owen's biggest supporter has been his mother Heather, who has attended every single game he's played in, from U10 level right up to the present day. Heather has driven him to matches the length and breadth of the O'Neill County - and all over Ireland too. As she hails originally from Maghera in Co. Derry, Heather gets plenty of 'stick' from her relations who are all keen Derry fans (especially 'Big Uncle Bob'). The honours Owen Mulligan has won to date certainly make for impressive reading. At school level, he collected a South Derry Primary Schools championship and added an All-Ireland senior Vocational Schools medal in 1998. With his club, Owen won an U16 league and championship double and a county minor championship. He has also been a beaten minor and U21 championship finalist with the Cookstown club. However, it's the Fr Rocks clubman's achievements on the intercounty stage that really catch the eye. As well as the aforementioned All-Ireland VS title with Holy Trinity in '98, he also won Ulster and All-Ireland minor medals with Tyrone that same year. What a year that was! - Owen also received The Examiner junior sports star award for gaelic football (for overcoming a badly broken arm and achieving a hat-trick of national titles). Owen has also helped himself to two Ulster minor leagues, three Ulster U21 championships and two All-Ireland U21 championships! And, even though this is only his third season with the O'Neill County seniors, the fleet-footed attacker has already won two Ulster senior football championships and back-to-back national football leagues. He's a shoe-in for an All Star this year as well and there's still a little bit of unfinished business to attend to: Tyrone are just 70 minutes away from lifting the Sam Maguire for the first time ever, so the coming days provide Mickey Harte's men with a chance of immortality! Owen Mulligan's story is a classic example of the apple not falling far from the tree. Gaelic football is very much in the family blood and the Tyrone forward undoubtedly inherited the lion's share of his ability from his father Eugene, who also wore the Tyrone colours with distinction. Eugene Mulligan captained Tyrone to their first All-Ireland senior Vocational Schools title in 1967 and also played minor football for the O'Neill County for three years - 1967-69 inclusive. He garnered an Ulster minor league and championship double with the county minors in '67 and captained the Tyrone under 18s the following season. Eugene played under 21 football up until 1972, at which stage injuries sustained in a serious car accident disrupted his promising career, enforcing a long lay-off from competitive action. He returned to play with the local Fr Rocks club from 1976 until 1984, however, but met with no major successes in club football. The Cookstown outfit progressed from junior to senior grade during this era and Eugene collected a junior championship and assorted league honours along the way. Fr Rocks have been starved of success at adult level but their juveniles have been doing extremely well. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, with Owen and several other former county panelists as well as plenty of underage talent coming through, they might capture another Tyrone senior football championship. Today, as well as supporting his son every step of the way, Eugene Mulligan works as a site manager with the McAleer & Rushe Group in Tyrone, one of Ireland's leading design and build contractors. Tweet

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