Connolly? Dub fans deserve the whole truth & nothing but the truth
IT’S the elephant in the room – the one big question in Dublin that has been avoided these past weeks and months. And it’s this: Has Jim Gavin (inset) actually, at any stage, formally asked Diarmuid Connolly back into the Dublin panel?
From that question comes numerous others.
Has the matter ever been fully dealt with? Is it acceptable, the way it has been left?
The matter just seems to be have been fudged at best.
Saying the door is open to someone, but not getting them back into the panel doesn’t add up.
It’s also blatantly unfair to those loyal Dublin supporters who idolized Connolly – and want him back. They do deserve to know the real story.
There were an awful lot of rumours circling around Dublin for a long time over this. But everyone seems afraid to ask the question and to demand an honest answer. Two years ago, Jack Mccaffrey took a year out and then walked straight back in to the panel without any dream, and as you would expect.
If there has been any spin or mind games played by anybody, that’s just plain wrong – and grossly unfair to to the Dublin supporters, as well as to the player himself.
Furthermore it’s a insult to all of us who watched and marveled at what he could do with a football. He made the God damn thing talk whenever he damn well wanted to.
This extraordinarly brilliant, skillful footballer was so good – and is still so good – that the world of Gaelic Football needs to know where his intercounty career stands.
I don’t know Diarmuid Connolly, and l certainly don’t know what goes on in the Dublin set up.
But the guy I watched on a football field, displaying skills most could only dream of, doesn’t deserve what is an almost deafening silence at this stage.
He hasn’t announced his retirement from intercounty football at any stage. So why is he not back playing for Dublin, and has he ever been asked back?
Why do we not know the reason? It’s definitely not a decision based on his football ability, that’s for sure.
I’ve been watching and waiting for his return and have to say I’m a bit surprised and disappointed that those great Dublin supporters have not asked the question. Why haven’t they? Is it fear? Why all the silence?
While there’s a dark cloud still lingering over the Connolly issue, what l can say for certain is that Dublin need him back. The GAA needs him back.
But, most importantly, the game of Gaelic Football desperately needs him back.