FRANK Dawson was emphatic in his insistence to the Irish News last month that the only player he excluded from last season's Championship panel was Tony Scullion.
The deep rift between the pair forged by the fall-out over a well-publicised issue that deserved greater discretion means the talented Cargin wing-back remains vehemently off the radar.
The reappointed boss maintains his door is open to Scullion's brother-in-law Tomas McCann. The sharpshooter never returned after that same disagreement prior to the ill-fated final League defeat to Monaghan which sent Antrim down, while he has recently signed for a second spell with local soccer outfit Donegal Celtic.
Dawson is also open the return of McCann's brother, Mick. The ex-Allstar nominee cited business
commitments when opting out mid-season. Delicate mediation is crucial if the so-called 'Cargin problem' is to find a solution.
It remains to be seen if St John's forward Conall Kelly can resolve his beef with Dawson after his withdrawal over tactics on the eve of the Championship.
St Gall's' classy wing-back Sean Kelly returned last summer after a three-year county hiatus. Whether the 32-year-old teacher fancies prolonging his second wind in Division Four is debatable.