By Cian O'Connell

Brian McGuigan's central and classy role in three All Ireland winning Tyrone teams will always be remembered.

That the gifted Ardboe O'Donovan Rossa play-maker overcame a couple of seriously threatening injuries merely added to his greatness.

Ahead of his Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tours at Croke Park this Saturday, McGuigan spoke with GAA.ie about his own playing career.

The Legends Tours offer fans a special opportunity to take a tour of Croke Park and hear, at first-hand, unique insights and anecdotes from players about the match day experience.

Tickets for the Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tour with Brian McGuigan can be purchased on-line. Advanced booking is advised. https://crokepark.ie/news-and-events/bord-gais-energy-legends-tour-with-brian-mcguigan

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Q: Are you looking forward to Saturday’s Legends Tour – returning to the scene of some famous Tyrone victories?

**A: **When I was in Croke Park for the launch of the Legends Tour I was just saying that I had never done the Croke Park tour. So it will be good for me to do it myself.

I used to only see inside the changing rooms and the pitch so it will be a nice experience. I'm doing the Legends Tour this week, but I would never have seen myself as a legend. I always see the likes of Peter Canavan and Trevor Giles and Stephen O'Neill as legends.

I wouldn't see myself in that bracket, I'm just privileged that I'm getting an opportunity to do it. I just hope there will be a few Tyrone people at it. It is just a pity that Tyrone aren't playing this weekend because it would have been nice to have a few Tyrone ones down.

Q: What is your verdict on the Mayo defeat?

A: A lot of people are saying Tyrone were poor and stuff, but if you look at the Donegal game in the Ulster Final, it just felt as if it was following the exact same pattern. Tyrone just seemed to be really timing their run, and it probably could have finished the exact same way as the Ulster Final had done. If Tyrone had converted the couple of chances they had, but unfortunately they didn't and that means you look back with a bit of regret.

You hear people saying that Tyrone should have went for it more, but whenever a game-plan works so well like in the Ulster Final you probably just want to do something similar in the All Ireland Quarter-Final. It just didn't work out.

Tyrone will have to try to come up with something different if they want to get to an All-Ireland Final. People are saying they will have to be a bit more attacking, but it is not easy for Mickey with the players he has at his disposal. He has a lot of good forwards, but they are all pretty similar in that they are all small in stature. They are good quality players, but sometimes you need that mix.

The likes of Dublin have Bernard Brogan, Mayo have Aidan O'Shea and Cillian O'Connor - all strong players. That is the difference between the top teams getting to Semi-Finals and Finals.

Q: When you were at the Legends Tour launch you were talking about Mickey Harte, how you'd love to see him win an All Ireland. He was a guy that had a huge impact on your own career through from the underage ranks. He is a colossal figure in the history of Tyrone football. What is your assessment of his role?

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A: Mickey is a legend. He was a legend in the eyes of the players that were involved with me right up from minor. The thing about it is I always knew Mickey Harte. I spent a year or so with Eugene McKenna and Art McRory, but to be fair I was probably a bit immature coming into the senior set-up. I didn't give it the full attention that I probably should have. Once Mickey came in we really bought into him. In my Tyrone career I knew nothing else from minors to under 21s to senior. I would hold him in high regard.

I actually wrote an article myself this week about Kilkenny and how they are the template for everybody else. A lot of that is down to Brian Cody's influence and what he has done for the whole county of Kilkenny. When I started out Kilkenny weren't really a big force at that time, but since he has come in they have just dominated the game. It doesn't matter who you are, Brian has no hesitation in dropping you if you aren't pulling your weight. Mickey was the exact same.

I just feel that on the football side of things it is a bit more difficult to be as dominant as Kilkenny have been, but if you look at the period in which we were successful, Mickey was just ruthless in everything he did. He dropped me for an All Ireland Final and I had no bother with it as it was the right call. He does everything for the good of the team and for the good of Tyrone football.

So many times you hear a voice, even last week, about how such and such is not in the team or not in the 26, but Mickey sees these boys day in, day out. If you are playing well enough you will be on it, if you aren't you won't.

He will still get a lot of stick within the county, but that is the way people are, we like hitting a man when he is down which is very unfair especially considering what he has done. He has done a fantastic job from where they have come from two years ago.

We got to an All Ireland Semi-Final last year and this year we won an Ulster Final. With so many young players I just hope that we build on it next year.

Q: Regarding your own career is it something you parked when you stopped playing or would you reflect about different things?

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A: When you are in that bubble playing inter-county football you don't really pay much attention to things. It just goes so, so quick. When you finish it changes.

I've children now, I've a little girl who is six and I have two younger boys. They are starting to ask about me and when I played football. It is just great to have those memories and the accolades that we won to show them. It is just great.

My only regret is that in my career I suffered serious injuries when I was at the peak of my career. In 2006 my first injury, I was at the peak of my powers, I felt good. Every game I went out I felt I could take every player on. When I broke that leg and then the eye injury the following year I was just never going to be the same player again. Yes I won an All Ireland in 2008, but I wasn't the same player that I was in 2003 and 2005. That is probably the biggest regret that I have, but I have to take great pleasure in what I did.

Even my own father and people would still say to me 'you weren't as good as your Dad', and, 'Your father was one of the greatest players I have ever seen', but he never won the stuff I won so that is why you have to appreciate what you did get.

Q: You alluded to the injuries. The fact that you came back from two severe injuries did that take it out of you mentally to get playing?

A: In 2006 when I broke a leg I knew it was going to be down to me. If I put in the work and the effort to rehab the leg I knew that I would get back to playing good football. When I hurt the eye it was a bit different, I was depending on other people to get me back. I had maybe seven or eight operations to get done. I was relying on doctors and relying on others to help me get my confidence back. Yes I knew I would have to work hard, but when you have to rely on other people it is a bit out of your control. With the broken leg it was all me. I did all I was asked to do to get back. When you get back from certain injuries like that you have confidence, you know you have the ability to get back to the top.

Mickey was great when I came back from them injuries. I was apprehensive about coming back, but Mickey said 'look, you are still the player you were, even if you can give us 10 per cent out what you gave us in 2005 it would be great'. Maybe another manager would have thought he had a couple of bad injuries, he will be no use to us. I have to give Mickey great credit for that.

Q: Since you've retired the game has changed in ways. Has an element of skill been lost?

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A: It is hard to know, I was at a summer camp last week and Mickey Harte was at it. I was asking him how did he think our team would do playing today's game. It probably would have been a different game, but he said 'good players always find ways to overcome problems'. The problem is that when we were playing at the peak of our powers in the mid 2000s we had six good forwards. Whether you can play six good forwards in a team today I don't know.

If you look at one of the players that I really admire at the minute, Ciaran Kilkenny. You can see the way Dublin utilise him. Playing in the last match in a half back position where he is like a quarter back setting up everything.

That is maybe where the likes of me would have to play: a bit closer to our own goals to try to hold possession. It is something that I always felt I was good at was holding possession and keeping possession. 

A lot of times players try to force a pass and then lose the ball. I think in today's game I might have had to play a bit closer to my own goal, but I maybe better at linking up play between defence and the forward line. Yes it might be harder to try to find your inside men.

The last day Mayo and Tyrone had a similar style of play. Ronan O'Neill wasn't able to get any space at all whereas Andy Moran and Cillian O'Connor were making run after run after run. If you do keep making the runs, keeping yourself busy, you will eventually find space. It is just getting the timing right with the quality of ball going in.

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The details for the forthcoming 2016 Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tours at Croke Park are as follows:

• Brian McGuigan – 20th August

• Declan O’Sullivan – 27th August

All Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tours include a trip to the GAA Museum, which is home to many exclusive exhibits, including the official GAA Hall of Fame. Booking is essential as the tours sell out quickly.

For more booking and ticket information about the GAA legends for this summer’s tours click here. Bord Gáis Energy customers can be in with a chance to win two places on the tours by signing up to the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club where regular competitions will take place.