How Meath legend Sean Boylan helped Jack McCaffrey to his Footballer of the Year award

A dig-out from a Royal County legend went a long way.

Jack McCaffrey picked up his first GAA-GPA Footballer of the Year award last night. And, at the barely credible age of 22, one would expect the Dublin man to take home an armful of similar accolades in the future. McCaffrey was outstanding for Dublin this year and dragged himself through the All-Ireland final win over Kerry despite a serious midweek bout of food poisoning. The half back actually has former Meath boss Sean Boylan to thank for getting him out on the Croke Park pitch in September. At a players' visit to Temple Street Children's Hospital, after Dublin's win, McCaffrey told 98FM, "On the morning of the game I was feeling a bit dodgy but lads like Sean Boylan and Gerry McEntee from Meath were hugely helpful and the medical staff on the Dublin team are excellent. "The lads pulled out all the stops to get me ready” “Gerry McEntee went through something similar back in the day," McCaffrey added. "He’d be a good friend of my father. Sean Boylan who sells herbal remedies and stuff got some stuff for me that worked a treat." Had McCaffrey been ruled out of that final, or started on the bench, he may not have won the award ahead of teammates Philly McMahon and Bernard Brogan.