Paul Mannion: ‘I came in and got sick in the sinks at Croke Park’

Last January’s Allianz National Football League encounter between Dublin and Kerry provided a gutcheck in more ways than one for Paul Mannion.

Five months earlier, the Kilmacud Crokes forward had been standing on Hill 16 celebrating the Dubs’ All-Ireland final win over Kerry, his brief experience as a fan coming towards the end of a season away from the game.

Ironically, the Kingdom were his first opponents in a competitive game back in blue in that league match, with the challenge of going up against Kerry’s Briain Ó Beaglaoich opening his eyes to the doubts he harboured about reclaiming his place on Jim Gavin’s panel.