Crokes ace Vaughan vows to return to Dublin panel

MARK VAUGHAN has not given up hope of resuming his inter-county career with Dublin despite being dropped from the panel by manager Pat Gilroy during this year’s championship.

The Kilmacud Crokes forward was a key player in his club’s successful county, provincial and All-Ireland campaigns but played almost no part in Dublin’s season prior to being dropped, reportedly for disciplinary reasons.

“The Dublin door is always open for anyone,” said Vaughan yesterday at the launch of the oneills.com Kilmacud Crokes All-Ireland Football Sevens. “I’m hoping to be in the squad next year. I’m having a better year this year than last year. I’m scoring a lot more from play and I have been trying to improve my work rate too. I assume it is going to be an open trial like last year. I think everyone has an equal chance of being in there again.” Vaughan has been troubled by a persistent back injury in recent seasons and it was that complaint which so limited his contribution to Dublin during the spring and summer competitions. That, coupled with his club commitments, saw him make just one appearance for Gilroy in the league – against Westmeath in the final round – and he wasn’t listed as a substitute in any of their championship fixtures prior to being released ahead of the All-Ireland quarter-final against Kerry.

“I went (with Dublin) in April and I knew that I was in trouble with the injury. I thought I’d be able to train through it and I just wasn’t getting there. We were doing a lot of sprint work and I was struggling. I went off and got the injections but, by the time I got back, it was championship.

“So, rather than push it for Leinster and risk it coming straight back, I gave it the full six weeks to get better and it was tough to get back in the team. A lot of lads had played well in Leinster and the team was nailed down so, by the time I came back in, it was too late.

“It was disappointing, but I have to put my head down and regroup and hopefully get in the squad again next year.”

Vaughan succumbed to injury again recently, having torn a hamstring three weeks ago and he is critical of the amount of games and training elite GAA players are forced to commit to in the modern game. Other Crokes players, including Kevin Nolan, Cian O’Sullivan and Mark Davoren, have also picked up injuries after the lengthy club campaign which lasted 11 months and stretched over two calendar years.

“In previous years I’d be finishing Sigerson and would be straight back into it (with Dublin) so it meant that I’d be peaking in February and maybe getting injured in May and my back was in trouble. I struggled to play for the full 12 months. You don’t get too much of a break before you are back in and training with Dublin and, by that stage, they are going at it full tilt. Even a lot of the younger lads were struggling with the amount of teams they are playing. Rory O’Carroll was criticised for leaving Dublin but I think he played with 12 teams this year.”