Ciarán McGrath targets fairytale return

Were Corofin to prevail on Saturday, Ciarán McGrath will accept the Andy Merrigan Cup from new GAA president John Horan. But there’s no guarantee the Corofin captain will be part of their starting line-up.

A knee injury meant McGrath missed Corofin’s recent All-Ireland quarter- and semi-final victories and while manager Kevin O’Brien has declared the corner-back fully fit, there’s every chance management will opt to keep faith with the team which battled past Moorefield last time out.

McGrath’s injury story is an unusual one; his decision to overlook surgery after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament on St Patrick’s Day three years ago very much out of kilter with the small army of GAA players who’ve gone under the knife to fix this injury.