‘Our door will remain open for Diarmuid’
JIM GAVIN insisted the ‘door will always be open’ for Diarmuid Connolly who was marked absent as the All-Ireland football champions returned to training this week. The St Vincent’s player now looks increasingly unlikely to play any part in Dublin’s bid for a historic four-in-arow. But Gavin didn’t rule out a return to action from five-time medal winner Bernard Brogan, who is rehabilitating from a cruciate knee ligament injury. On the continued absence of mercurial talent Connolly, for both club and county, Gavin said: ‘Diarmuid just hasn’t been available to play club football, county championship — football and hurling with his club. And with the county as well. We respect that decision and hope everybody else does as well. It is an amateur sport. That said, the door will always be open for Diarmuid. I know for sure with the club and county. Hopefully we will see him back playing Gaelic games soon. ‘We have a duty of care within the association to anyone who volunteers their time. Be it the managers we have here today — you respect them — and then from a players’ perspective as well. I hope people understand that. ‘In terms of the current squad, we’ve always embraced what we have. The focus is relentless on the game ahead of us. That’s where their focus is now, on the game against Wicklow or Offaly. That’s where their drive is towards — whoever we have in the squad. We’ve been faced with similar situations in the past and they just keep driving on.’ He revealed that former Footballer of the Year Brogan will definitely be back playing football and didn’t rule out a return with Dublin either in 2018. ‘He’s on track, doing a lot of work, with a big medical team behind him. ‘Professionally business is going very well, family life is going well, and first and foremost he’s healthy. He’ll definitely be back playing football. Again, another determined young man. But whether that’s in a Dublin jersey this year I don’t know, because I don’t know what journey we’ll be on or where it will end. All he can do is get himself back playing football. Will that coincide with a Dublin jersey this summer? I just don’t know. ‘Jack [McCaffrey] is very close, Cian O’Sullivan is very close, so it’s good to have them coming back into the squad.’