Ryan resigned to sitting on the bench

GLEN RYAN won't be holding his breath in anticipation of the Kildare team announcement this evening.

The former captain, an inspirational force behind the team’s march to the 1998 All-Ireland final and again in their Leinster triumph two years ago, is resigned to sitting out the start from the substitutes’ bench.

More positively, he is happy to be part of the panel after a series of injuries which saw him undergo surgery twice already this year. In his 13th season, he is coming back to fitness and is nearly right. Predictably, he only wants to look forward, rather than having regrets about his bad luck.