Five-time All-Ireland winner Diarmuid Connolly returned to club football on Saturday as St. Vincent’s took on Lucan Sarsfields in the Dublin Senior Football Championship.
The defending champions cruised to a 4-18 to 0-13 win in their round three match with Connolly returning to the bench after a summer sabbatical with Donegal Boston.
Surprise Surprise the King is back (on the bench) pic.twitter.com/4NbPXtwvXo
— Darragh Culhane (@DarraghCulhane) September 15, 2018
While Connolly was named among the replacements, at No.19, the reliable Dub Match Tracker noted that he was not togged out for the game and was posing for selfies on the sidelines as his team cruised to victory.
He also found time to catch up with some of his old inter-county colleagues.
Freya enjoying the senior championship win over @WColmcille with @niallscully7 Eoghan O’Gara and @DenisBastick and @dermoc123 fresh off his holidays. pic.twitter.com/hpkrGeMIdn
— Templeogue Synge St (@Tempsyngest) September 15, 2018
The 31-year-old will be handily cleared for club duty back home, after his stint across the water, and just in time for what Vincent’s will be hoping for a run through the knock-out stages.
Here are the eight teams confirmed for the quarter finals:
The following 8 teams have qualified for the Q.Finals of the Dublin SFC:
• @Bodengaa
• @StVincentsGAA1
• @StSylvestersGaa
• @clgnaomhjude
• @CastleknockGAA
• @BallymunGAA
• @KCrokesGAAClub
• @clgNaFianna #DSFC1 #Allianz #Gaa RT— 𝘿𝙪𝙗𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 (@DubMatchTracker) September 15, 2018
Connolly thrived in the States and helped Donegal Boston to a Boston SFC Final win over the Wolfe Tones with the Dublin forward notching 12 points of his side’s 17 points in the win.
He also scored 0-4 of Donegal’s 0-13 as they overcame Aidan McAnespies by four points in the semi-final.
Connolly left for America earlier this year after he was left on the outer of Dublin’s league and championship squads.
Dublin manager Jim Gavin said that the door was open for Connolly to return and that he hoped that he would return to Gaelic Games soon.
“The situation is that Diarmuid just hasn’t been available to play football and hurling with his club, and with the county as well,” Gavin said in May.
“We respect that position, and hopefully everyone does as well. It is an amateur sport, but that said, the door will always be open for Diarmuid, and I know for sure with the club and also the county. Hopefully, we’ll see him back playing Gaelic games soon.
“I just hope we’ve a duty of care within the Association, for anyone who volunteers their time. It is an amateur sport, be it managers we have here today, that you respect them, and from a player perspective as well, and I hope people understand that.”
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