Why Johnston needed to play for 35 seconds

A ruling by Congress in April of this year was the reason behind Seanie Johnston’s surprise appearance for Coill Dubh hurlers in the Kildare SHC on Saturday last.

The decision, subsequently nicknamed the ‘Seanie Johnston rule’, stipulated that before a player can complete an inter-county transfer, he must have played in the local club championship first.

He was transferring to St Kevin’s but it was held up by the Central Appeals Committee (CAC) and the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) and was unable to line out in the first round of the Kildare SFC on May 20.

Johnston’s transfer was eventually granted by the CCCC in early June and he lined out in a league game for St Kevin’s on June 10 but still needed to play a championship game before he could be eligible to play for Kieran McGeeney’s team.

The possibility of the former Cavan star lining out for Coill Dubh in the Kildare SHC was mooted and after behind the scenes discussions Johnston made a 35-second appearance on Saturday and finally became eligible to make his bow for Kildare.