Conor McManus: 'Every team in the country was probably training. We were one of that got caught'

Conor McManus: When you look at guards coming to Gaelic fields and telling you you’re not allowed to be there, it was surreal. Picture: INPHO/Tommy Dickson

Monaghan’s Conor McManus admits it was “surreal” being caught up in the Covid-19 storm that threatened to ruin their season. The three-time All-Star ultimately believes that breaking the GAA’s Covid-19 regulations by training collectively last spring will go down as just another oddity in a “mad, crazy time”.

Monaghan were stripped of home advantage for their opening National League game and boss Seamus McEnaney was suspended for 12 weeks because of the violation with similar punishments meted out in Down, Dublin, and Cork.

In Monaghan’s case, images and video footage of players training were distributed to various media outlets as well as the Department of Justice.

“We all got back to some form of normality in our lives in the last number of weeks and months, there was a full championship played out, there were 40 or 50,000 in Croke Park,” said McManus, speaking at an event to promote Imagine Broadband’s high-speed broadband network.

“We’ve all gone back to our own club championships, they’ve all gone ahead, we’re back in pubs and restaurants and things like that and when you look at guards and the Department of Justice and things like that coming to Gaelic fields and telling you you’re not allowed to be out on a field, it was surreal. We’ll look back in a number of years’ time and just say that was crazy stuff.”

Conor McManus was speaking courtesy of Imagine Broadband. Supporting the national broadband plan, Imagine continue to rapidly expand its high-speed broadband network, prioritising the 200,000 rural homes that are currently facing significant broadband delays - check your coverage at imagine.ie. Picture: Paul Sharp

Despite McEnaney’s suspension, Monaghan finished the National League with an epic extra-time win over Galway to secure their Division 1 status and went on to run Tyrone, the eventual All-Ireland winners, to within a point in the Ulster final at Croke Park. McManus said the Covid controversy had little or no effect on the team.

“It didn’t really, to be perfectly honest with you. It’s not ideal (but) every team in the country was probably training. We were one of the teams that got caught. I think when you look back on it now, it highlights how mad the whole situation was.”

McManus overcame a knee injury suffered midway through the Championship to feature in all of Monaghan’s league and championship games in 2021. He was all set to sign off for the year last weekend when he suffered an agonising bone break in a club game.

“I managed to break my hand in three places,” said McManus, whose right hand has been placed in a cast. “It’s not ideal but there is not much happening for the next couple of weeks. I will be well rested by the time the McKenna Cup comes around. I would say it’s the standard four to six weeks for it. We had a league final last weekend, last Friday night. Typical that it happens on the final game of the year.”

McManus, 34, is committed to playing on with Monaghan in 2022, along with fellow veterans Darren Hughes and Karl O’Connell. But Dermot Malone has had to call it quits.

“It’s an injury and he’s just been struggling with it,” said McManus. “It’s not looking like it’s going to allow him to play on.”

- Conor McManus was speaking courtesy of Imagine Broadband. Supporting the national broadband plan, Imagine continue to rapidly expand its high-speed broadband network, prioritising the 200,000 rural homes that are currently facing significant broadband delays — check your coverage at imagine.ie