Dunne quits Cavan panel
CAVAN manager Terry Hyland has warned of his ‘fears’ for the longterm future of intercounty football as star forward Martin Dunne has become the latest player to quit his panel.
Dunne, 26, is the 14th member of last year’s Cavan squad to quit, with the majority citing work commitments as the main factor behind their decision.
It has prompted Hyland, who recalled Seanie Johnston to his panel prior to Christmas, to declare that the demands being placed on inter- county footballers are such that he f ears the game’s future is under threat.
‘If you went through any county in Ireland you will find that inter- county football is very difficult to play at the moment, because of the amount of time they have to put into it.
‘I’ll be straight with you — if it keeps going on the way it is for the next five, six years, I don’t know where they are going to get players from because I don’t know how you can work and play inter- county football going forward.
‘It’s just too demanding and lot of it is down to work commitments,’ declared Hyland.
Hyland’s comments will add fuel to the ongoing debate over the work-life balance issues facing the country’s inter- county playing population, with the Cavan manager claiming the game was now only suitable for students and teachers.
‘If you’re not a student, or possibly a teacher, I don’t how you cope.
‘I’d say if you are working in the trades, then you haven’t a hope of playing inter-county football.
‘We lost Damien O’Reilly who is a sparks (electrician) who started out on his own job, he hired two men and is building a house, and there’s your answer to why he is not playing,’ explained Hyland.
The exodus of players has hit Cavan hard, with the loss of Dunne the latest blow.
Ironically, Dunne owed his chance at inter-county level in part to the decision of his Cavan Gaels clubmate Johnston to transfer to Kildare in 2013, and he made the most of it with a sensational rookie season.
He thrived to such a degree as the team’s principal marksman that season that his tally of 1-33 saw him finish as the Championship’s second highest scorer, behind Mayo’s Cillian O’Connor.
However, he failed to kick a Championship ball in anger the following summer despite being named to start in the quarter-final against Armagh, after he was involved in a pre-match brawl that came with the price of a broken arm and a retrospective suspension.
He came off the bench in the defeats to Monaghan and Roscommon last summer (scoring in both games), but will not be making himself available this year.
‘Martin is on about doing a little bit of travelling and he’s studying for accountancy exams and it goes back to what I said about commitment and time,’ said the Cavan manager.
It has left the Breffni boss light on attacking options after he admitted he was also forced to concede defeat in his attempt to lure back Dublin-based Eugene Keating.
Keating, who now plays his club football with Kilmacud Crokes, was a pivotal figure on the team that reached the 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final where they lost to Kerry, but he opted out last year.
‘Eugene is working as a QS in Dublin, he’s working on sites and there is a difficulty there with that,’ said Hyland.
‘He was playing club football with Kilmacud up until the second or third week of December and playing in a league final.
‘We told him to take a few weeks out to think about it, though at the moment it looks like he won’t be involved. But the panel is open. All these lads know each other well and there is no animosity with any of them if anyone can come in and help the set-up.
‘We have ruled nobody out. If a lad rings and says “look Terry, I’ll try to recommit,” we will see how we can accommodate them.’