ULSTER SFC:TYRONE MANAGER Mickey Harte has not ruled out cajoling three-time All-Ireland winners Brian Dooher, Philip Jordan and Brian McGuigan out of retirement after Seán Cavanagh was added to a growing injury list.

“You have to look at what’s required – do any of those players have an interest in helping us out? – and a lot of things have to fit together for that to happen,” said Harte.

“I could not say at this time, but we have to look at all options. If we need to add some people to the panel we’d certainly look at those options.”

Cavanagh is the latest Tyrone footballer to be ruled out of this year’s championship. The four-time All Star sustained damage to his right shoulder lining out for his club, Moy, over the weekend, making him certain to miss the Ulster quarter-final against Armagh on June 10th.

The 29-year-old only returned in March from a six-month absence rehabilitating his left shoulder. “He’s gone to get a scan on that this morning and get it clarified what the nature of the injury is,” Harte explained. “We’re fearing the worst at the moment.”

Cavanagh joins Kyle Coney, Ronan O’Neill and Tommy McGuigan on the sidelines with Harte also noting yesterday that he now had lost four scoring forwards.

“Some things in life you can’t change and you have to deal with what you’re faced,” Harte continued. “I think there’s a lot of experience in the squad, there are a lot of good players there and I think we’ll be able to roll up the sleeves so to speak and deliver their best performance. If they do that then we’ll not be too far away.”

This is not the first time Harte’s Tyrone squad has been ravaged by injury.

“That’s true and it will test the strength in depth of the squad. People talk about when you get a few injuries other players can come in, but you’re reducing your options all the while.

“Since they’ll all on one side of the field, it’s going to prove problematic. Really good forwards don’t grow on trees and it takes a long time to mature them.

“It reminds me of 2006 when we came back after winning the All-Ireland and we had five or six great players sitting in the stand for the first match when we played Derry in Omagh.

“You just have to deal with it and I think it will ask serious questions of the rest of the squad and maybe give an opportunity to a player who maybe didn’t think they’d get one just as quickly as they will do now.”