Cavan hope Johnston returns to club action

The Cavan County Board hope Seanie Johnston returns to play for his club after opting not to pursue his transfer case to the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).

It was reported at the weekend thatJohnston did not apply to the independent arbitration body within the required timeframe after the GAA’s disciplinary bodies refused to grant his switch to Kildare.

Cavan raised an issue about the legitimacy of Johnston living in Straffan, close to the St Kevin’s club, which he sought to join.

Breffni bosses are glad the saga has ended and anticipate the talented forward will return to play with Cavan Gaels.

Cavan PRO Declan Woods said: “We’d hope that Seanie comes back and plays with his club and look forward to seeing him there. That’s where his talent has been nurtured and where he started. Cavan Gaels are the best club in the county and certainly the most successful club. They want to move forward in Ulster and Seanie would certainly help them to succeed at provincial level.”

Johnston, 27, had originally signalled he did not want to leave his club but wished to continue playing inter-county football after he was omitted from the Cavan panel.

Woods said the Cavan County Board were not surprised the switch was ruled out of order by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC). They asserted that Johnston, who works as a secondary school teacher in Cavan town, was not living in Kildare on a permanent basis.

“We didn’t expect that this would end any other way,” said Woods. “From the sound bites that we got, including from the media, the word was this wasn’t going to go through. It’s a non-story for us now. Nobody is talking about it.”