Alan Cadogan and Aidan Walsh join Cork footballers

Alan Cadogan and Aidan Walsh trained with the Cork footballers yesterday evening ahead of their Round 3B qualifier clash against Longford this Saturday.

The pair were invited into the panel by manager Peadar Healy following the hurlers’ exit from the championship at the hands of Wexford in Thurles at the weekend.

Two-time All-Star Walsh, 26, played his last game for the footballers in the 2014 All- Ireland quarter-final defeat to Mayo before opting to commit solely to the hurlers.

In excellent form for the hurlers this summer, Cadogan, 23, links up with his older brother Eoin. He has yet to line out for the senior footballers but claimed three consecutive Munster U21 titles between 2012 and ’14.

Speaking before his decision in 2014, Walsh admitted he felt like he was letting both panels down by not being able to train fully with them. “I would say it’s impossible to play both codes at 100% so you’re not going to play at your full potential. That’s not possible in today’s game and the way it’s gone. At the start of the year, I knew that was going to be the case: I wasn’t going to be 100% at both of them.

“At the back of your mind, you’re thinking the other players in the squad are saying ‘how can this man do 50% of the training and I do 100% of the training and he’s on before me’ so there’s a bit of anger there. If I was in their position I’d be the same. If a fella’s coming in for half the session and getting on the team. All those things were part of it too but it’s impossible to play 100% at both.”

Meanwhile, sources in RTÉ confirm the network is hopeful of confirming a live stream of the Sunday’s Connacht final replay later in the week.

Limerick’s Pa Ranahan, 32, has announced his retirement from inter-county football in the wake of Saturday’s qualifier loss to Cork. Ranahan tweeted: “Agus sin é. Great days. Great memories. Great friends. Was so proud every time I wore green & white #7”