Gaelic Games
By Brendan Crossan and Kenny Archer
DERRY’S Geoffrey McGonigle laughed off suggestions last night that he was dropped from the starting line-up for Sunday’s NFL quarter-final against Cork because of injury.
It was rumoured that McGonigle fell out of favour with the Derry management team after he had decided to play for the county’s hurling team in London on the previous day.
Speaking from his home last night, McGonigle denied that he was injured for the NFL quarter-final clash: “When I read in the paper that I was injured I couldn’t believe it. It was laughable.”
McGonigle explained that on Tuesday evening he was issued an ultimatum by the football management it was either football or hurling and not both.
Last night Adrian McGuckin Derry’s co-manager, confirmed that the player was in fact asked to decide between the two sports, but denied McGonigle was struck off the panel at any stage.
In what appears to be a breakdown of communication, McGonigle was led to believe that he was out of the squad once he decided to represent his county in hurling against London on Saturday.
He said: “I got a phone call from a friend late on Friday evening in London saying that I had been restored to the panel but only as substitute.”
Gaelic Games
By Kenny Archer
ARMAGH’S five Ulster players have been withdrawn from the panel for Sunday’s Inter-Provincial semi-final replay with Munster at Omagh.
Ulster manager Brian McEniff confirmed yesterday that, after discussions with Armagh’s joint-manager Brian McAlinden, he had agreed that Kieran McGeeney, Paul McGrane, Jarlath Burns, Andrew McCann, and Diarmaid Marsden would not be called up this weekend.
The Orchard county lost star forward Marsden to injury in the first game at Killarney, ruling him out of Sunday’s NFL quarter-final clash with Sligo, and were unwilling to run that risk again with the semi-final meeting against Dublin looming on April 25.
Armagh’s other joint-manager Brian Canavan, speaking before confirmation of withdrawal yesterday, said that he had not been in touch with McEniff but commented: “We’ll not fall out about it but we’d prefer it if they didn’t play.
“We have been in action for the past four or five weekends and in any case he [McEniff] has more talent available to him than we do!”
The Ulster squad will meet for training in Donaghmore tomorrow (6.30) with Derry’s Allstar Sean Martin Lockhart and Tony Boyle of Donegal rejoining after injury. Cavan’s Larry Reilly, unavailable for the first encounter with the Munstermen, is likely to be called up too, with the team to be named on tomorrow night.
