Cormac Costello. Pic: Ray McManus / Sportsfile
PAUL BROGAN and Ross McConnell have been cut from the Dublin senior football panel by new manager Jim Gavin.
Neither of the two were present at the first meeting of the provisional squad last Friday, where 50 players were assembled as Gavin outlined his plans for the forthcoming season.
It means that of last year’s squad, the St Oliver Plunkett’s pair, along with Tomás Quinn, Paul Casey, Eamon Fennell and Michael Savage are no longer involved.
litany
McConnell played no part in last year’s Championship while Brogan – who has suffered a litany of injuries over the past four seasons – appeared just once as a substitute.
But Gavin looks to have a battle on his hands to secure the services of Cormac Costello could be the latest battleground unless the talented dual player attempts to try his hand at both codes in 2013.
The Whitehall Colmcille man has attended last week’s provisional Dublin senior football panel and has been invited to a similar assembly of the 2013 hurlers in four days’ time.
Anthony Daly’s extended squad will meet for the first time next Friday and the Clareman has invited a handful of players not involved in this year’s squad – Costello included – but until then, won’t know the player’s intentions.
Already, Daly has lost Tomás Brady to the footballers after the Na Fianna man opted to go with Jim Gavin’s outfit while St Vincent’s Ruairí Trainor was also an attendee at the meeting of the provisional football panel, although it remains unlikely he will switch codes.
At 29, it would be unusual for Trainor to attempt to play both whereas Costello could yet be given the option by the respective managements.
Eric Lowndes, a team-mate of Costello’s on the Dublin minor hurling and football teams this year, could also fall into that category.
Australia-bound Ciarán Kilkenny was set to spread his talents across football and hurling, with both Gavin and Daly pencilling the Castleknock man into their plans for next season prior to his signing of a professional contract with Aussie Rules club, Hawthorn.
Daly, meanwhile, is unlikely to add to his management team and will go into 2013 with just two selectors: Richie Stakelum and Ciarán Hetherton.
Both Vincent Teehan and John McEvoy left the Daly set-up after the completion of their involvement in 2012, while trainer Martin Kennedy has also since decamped to the footballers.
Daly has since recruited highly-rated former Tipperary trainer Ross Dunphy to his backroom team but, at this point, has not filled the positions left by Teehan and McEvoy.
Both Gavin and Daly will learn on Wednesday night who they will face in their opening competitive fixtures of 2013 when Leinster Council finalise the draws for the O’Byrne and Walsh Cups.
The former will undergo an overhaul in 2013 after the provincial body decided to do away with the knockout format and adopt a round-robin system, with Dublin guaranteed three matches, most likely against two other counties and a third-level side with some matches to be staged midweek.
Ratified
Dessie Farrell, meanwhile, has been officially ratified as Dublin’s U21 football manager at a full meeting of the county board last night, although the U21 hurling role remains unfilled for the time being.
County board chiefs are in talks with 2012 boss John Henderson and this year’s minor manager, Shay Boland, but nothing will be fully decided before the December board meeting.
Scoil Uí Chonaill man Pat Fanning has also been be ratified as minor hurling manager along with selectors Pat Robinson, Colm Crowley (both Faughs) and Fintan Clandillon (Lucan Sarsfields), while Cyril Kevlehan of Thomas Davis was officially appointed minor football boss.
– Conor McKeon
