“Yes he’s starting, he’s fit, he’s healthy and been training well all week, etc etc.”
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book, put out to the media that your injured talisman is starting to try and throw your opponent off when it comes to their preparation.
Last week Michael Murphy was down to start against Derry in the Ulster Championship quarter-final, despite the fact that he could only manage 20 minutes before coming off with a recurring hamstring injury just a couple of weeks before.
Of course, he didn’t start. A shrewd move if it weren’t for the fact that every single manager, pundit and fan who saw that line-up, knew full well he was never playing.
It’s just become the done thing, a charade that managers nearly have to get over with.
In 2011, the Donegal captain was at the centre of this trick again, lining out to play Kildare in the All-Ireland semi-final and went as far as leading the team out during the parade and everything.
Monaghan take on Armagh, but what everyone wants to know, is if Monaghan star Conor McManus will be fit to play.
The firing forward, came off with what looked like, a bad knee injury against Fermanagh a couple of weeks ago, and hobbled off the pitch in crutches afterwards.
A worrying sight for The Farney fans, but it has been announced that he will be starting now – or will he?
Oisin McConville seems to think that it was only a “dead leg” and wasn’t as serious as first thought, but BBC’s Marty Clarke said that McManus’ “championships looks in doubt” when commentating on the game.
So if you were to believe the match previews and programmes, then you can be sound in the knowledge that he should be on the pitch, but we’ve been scorned before.
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