Hurling loss 'may be a positive' for Boden

DUAL STAR: Stephen O’Connor

Frank Roche

The hurlers of Ballyboden have just lost a county final in Parnell Park. Several of that team have only a week to get their bodies - and heads - right for another county final at the same venue.

Some would view this as a psychological killer for the Dublin SFC holders as they prepare to face Ballymun.

Finnian Hyland is more a glass-half-full kind of guy.

Asked if last Sunday's defeat could have a negative impact, the Boden football selector countered: "No, it might be the opposite. It might be a positive for us - that we have to bring something back to the club for the year. So, we just have to make sure that the guys are right."

By guys, he's referring specifically to their dual cohort - Conal Keaney may be the only hurler who invariably starts for the footballers, but Simon Lambert struck a vital semi-final goal off the bench against St Jude's while Stephen O'Connor, Shane Durkin, Conor Dooley and Paddy Dunleavy are on both squads. Another, Malachy Codd, is currently injured.

Coming out of Sunday's pulsating contest but ultimately deflating loss to Cuala, Hyland surmised that "physically they're okay. Guys like Conal Keaney - he's probably the fittest he's ever been. We've seen him, going from game to game, training session to training session, getting on with it and producing good quality football and hurling in those games.

"These guys are experienced. They've taken knocks before, in results not going the right way, and they can bounce back."

Once club football in the capital concludes, Cavan native Hyland will be keeping a close eye on the fast-approaching county campaign, with his brother Terry involved as Leitrim manager.

But the latest Covid-19 trends are worrying. Hyland believes the GAA will get to finish its flagship championships but views some disruption as inevitable.

"I think there'll be some hiccups," he predicted. "I think championship should have started, rather than trying to finish out the league games (first). There might be a little bit of a hindrance to some of the counties, because of the Covid as much as anything else.

"But look it, people get through these things and we play our games and we try and get them finished. There will be certain times when, I suppose, there are stops for games that don't get played and they can be pushed into midweeks and played under lights and whatnot. So, yeah, I think they will get it finished."