Donaghy’s star burns brightest again on big stage

Kieran Donaghy returned to his natural habitat in Croke Park yesterday – basking in the glow of the spotlight.

Eight years after he set the football world spinning on its axis when moved to full-forward against Longford in an All-Ireland football qualifier in Killarney, the Austin Stack giant was back on the edge of the square in the green and gold on a September Sunday.

Talk of such a deployment seemed foolhardy at the start of the season as he struggled with a nasty groin injury and then things went from bad to worse when he damaged his shoulder while on club duty.