Boost for Westmeath as Dolan to return

EXILED Westmeath star Dessie Dolan has revealed he is set to return to the county football ranks ahead of their Leinster SFC opener against Wicklow or Carlow on June 6.

Dolan has yet to feature for Westmeath this season after withdrawing early in the year in protest at his father, Dessie Senior, not receiving an interview for the position of Westmeath boss at the start of the season.

Brendan Hackett was subsequently installed to the post but resigned after a disastrous league campaign and amidst player unrest. Dolan is now poised to return under new man Pat Flanagan and believes Westmeath still have the quality to contend for silverware.

“I’ll more than likely be coming back,” said Dolan, speaking in the Racing Post. “I need to talk to Pat first to see if he wants me. He’s a man I know well from his time with Tomás (O Flaharta) in Westmeath and he’s top notch. If you took a bare look at the league table, you might think we will struggle this summer, but that doesn’t tell the truth really.

“There are plenty of quality players in Westmeath. Throw in the good U21 footballers coming through and it’s not difficult to look forward to returning.”

Dolan described his self-imposed exile as difficult. “The last couple of months have been difficult but there is no sense on dwelling on them. It was useful for me to be away from everything to clear up all the niggly injuries that I’ve carried over the past two seasons. I haven’t felt as good in a long time and I’m ready to fight for a place on the team.”

Meanwhile Galway manager Joe Kernan will be keeping his fingers crossed his injury problems do not worsen ahead of their Connacht SFC semi-final at the end of June, with his entire panel are involved in club championship action this weekend. Sean Armstrong, Kieran Fitzgerald, Adrian Faherty and Micheal Meehan are just some of the players nursing injures and Kernan will hope not to incur any more problems this weekend.

There are 11 first-round games down for decision, the pick seeing champions Corofin face Cortoon Shamrocks this evening in Tuam Stadium at 7pm in a repeat of the 2008 decider, while 2007 winners Killererin face last year’s beaten finalists Mountbellew/Moylough in Tuam Stadium tomorrow evening at 7pm.

Meanwhile Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has accused the GAA of muddying the waters by changing the handpass rule again. Harte was a vocal opponent of the experiment in the league whereby players could only use a closed fist, rather than an open palm.

While that proposed alteration was rejected at Congress, the adoption of a motion demanding that a fisted pass or a handpass be underhand only, with the overhand option no longer allowed, has not met with Harte’s approval.

The Tyrone boss said he had been told the matter had been brought specifically to the attention of referees and wondered why the same courtesy had not been afforded to players and coaches.