Take The Point: O'Boyle's return a welcome one

WHEN Cailean O’Boyle left to go to America last summer, there were a few eyebrows raised. But it wasn’t just as plain as him jumping on a plane to go and take a few quid for playing some football. The Lavey man had written his car off earlier in the year and had stayed home initially to help Derry. But without work and struggling to make ends meet, the prospect of the money offered in Boston was simply a necessity for him. He hadn’t toiled for a handful of years around the back end of squads to up and leave on the occasion of being handed a championship opportunity for no reason. It’s good to see him back in harness. He returned with 1-7 in what was admittedly a very flat challenge game with Antrim, but in light of Derry’s struggles in the full-forward line this year, his return will be very welcome. Emmett McGuckin’s time in Birmingham has made it difficult for him to retain his sharpness, while Eoin Bradley’s involvement in the league was very limited. It left Derry shy of options on the inside line and, as a direct result, they ended up with a very poor scoring record. They averaged just over 12 points per game in the Division One campaign, making it little surprise that they finished with just one victory and a draw from seven games. The option of O’Boyle will be a welcome one. He proved last year that the one doubt that really hung over him as an inter-county footballer – his ability as a ball-winner – was unfounded. He has the finishing skills, and a real eye for goal that Derry really missed this year. Over the last six weeks he’s undergone a fitness programme with personal trainer Pauric Grimes in order to get back to his best and his return should be widely welcomed by Derry supporters. With Patsy Bradley hugely unlikely to feature in the Down game on June 7, it leaves Brian McIver with worries in the centre yet again. It seems to be an annual problem. He may give Conor McAtamney or Brian Óg McGilligan the role alongside Fergal Doherty and free Mark Lynch up to play at centre-forward. However, he could also put Lynch to midfield and give James Kielt the start in the half-forward line. The development of Niall Holly as a real full-back option and the introduction of Brendan Rogers to the squad is likely to prompt the move out of Chrissy McKaigue, which could also provide a real attacking boost. If I was picking my Derry team at this stage, it would be: Thomas Mallon; Oisin Duffy, Niall Holly, Dermot McBride; Sean Leo McGoldrick, Chrissy McKaigue, Kevin Johnston; Fergal Doherty, Conor McAtamney; Benny Heron, Mark Lynch, Enda Lynn; Daniel Heavron, Eoin Bradley, Cailean O’Boyle

Fermanagh fixtures row is merely behind the times THE fact that the apparent decision of Fermanagh’s county management putting training in direct opposition to a round of club fixtures went without many headlines was a cast-iron sign that this is just how the GAA is now. It’s hardly a new phenomenon, given that Derry players would recall barely kicking a ball in club action during the 1993 season. It’s been going on all over the country for two decades and more. It’d be fairly hypocritical of anyone from Derry to be hammering Pete McGrath for the move he’s made, given that club football has wrecked many an Oak Leaf season over the past decade, what with the tendency of players to suffer injuries all over the shop. Seven it was that Brian McIver lost between Donegal and Longford visiting Celtic Park last year. Ahead of their Division Three National League final defeat by Armagh, McGrath told me that a number “in double figures” had been unavailable for training a few nights after a round of league games. By making this move, Fermanagh have simply caught up with everyone else. County players across Ireland don’t really play club football any more until their inter-county season is over. It’s sad that county football is able to dictate to the masses in that way though. The statement released by Fermanagh CCC let their feelings be known and it was good to see a county board attempt to stand up for club players in that way. But it showed how the balance of power has swung absolutely. Bringing Fermanagh to that Division Three final despite losing so many experienced players over the winter was an achievement that strengthened the hand of the county team in such negotiations and left the Fermanagh CCC basically powerless. We’ve almost just come to accept it, but it is sore on club players, having their schedule constantly rejigged. A red pen goes through fixtures with barely a second thought. I have massive sympathy for the CCC in every county, trying to guess their schedule every year and knowing that it could be knocked off at any stage through no fault of their own. But the real sympathy lies with club footballers in Fermanagh who now face spending the month of May training and getting no competitive football. That shouldn’t happen.

Forcing the Dubs out of Croker pointless THE GAA talks about a level playing field, but it’s empty chat. Dublin haven’t played a provincial championship game outside Croke Park since they beat Longford at Pearse Park in 2006, and given that they’ve won all but one of those last nine Leinster titles, that’s a fair few consecutive home games. Then, of course, the venue is used for all games from the quarter-final onwards, meaning that they seldom leave the place. It is natural that Dublin would play more games at the Jones’ Road venue given that it’s on their doorstep. It’s semi-natural that the GAA would want more supporters through the gates. The attendances on the three days that Dublin were out in Leinster last year were 40,960, 46,279 and 62,620, which appears to justify such a decision. And the really strange this is that when the other counties were given the opportunity to change it at a meeting of the Leinster Council at the tail end of last year, they almost unanimously agreed to leave the games in Croke Park. That was a decision made by men on the business side of the GAA rather than at the competitive coalface. There’s a small part of you that would see to see Jim Gavin’s men brought out into the wilds of provincial arenas, but there are no such thing anymore. There are comfortably facilities in Tullamore, Portlaoise, etc. And given how far removed Dublin are from the rest of Leinster at this moment in time, the argument for bringing them out of Croke Park is fairly weak.