Sherlock and Whelan named in Gilroy’s first Dublin squad

JASON SHERLOCK was one of 43 players named in new manager Pat Gilroy’s first Dublin squad yesterday.

The St Oliver Plunkett’s/Eoghan Ruadh player has been on the county squad for the past 14 seasons.

The 32-year old was present at both of the team meetings held since Gilroy’s appointment and he joins Ciaran Whelan, who had made his intention to stay on public last month, in the set-up.

Gilroy stated yesterday that the panel was chosen on the basis of county form last year, club form and a regional-based football blitz which was held last weekend by the Innisfails club in Balgriffin.

Last year’s panel has been retained en masse thus far with 11 new faces adding to the numbers.

One of those is James Brogan, a cousin of the three Brogans already on the panel, another is Hugh Gill who won an All-Ireland club medal with St Vincent’s last March.

The youngest of the three Brogan brothers, Paul, was not considered due to injury. Neither was St Jude’s player Niall O’Shea, while the four Kilmacud Crokes men that did make it — Mark Vaughan, Darren Magee, Kevin Nolan and Paul Griffin — are certain to be joined by others once their current club duties end.

Gilroy stressed that the panel was “open ended” and added that it would remain that way from now until next September with club form being used as one of the main barometers for inclusion.

New regulations mean the new management team will not be able to conduct any training sessions or other get-togethers until after January 1st but plans are afoot to organise a training camp in La Manga in the New Year.

The appointment of a new manager in Dublin inevitably brings with it questions over the status of dual players, of which there are many. The football panel contains a number of players who local observers are actually better hurlers.

Most prominent are Conal Keaney and Dermot Connolly. Gilroy said yesterday that it was not for him to tell any player they could not play hurling but added that he would deal with every situation independently if and when the matter arose.