Davey Byrne has returned to full training with the Dublin footballers after suffering facial injuries before the start of a challenge match against Armagh earlier this month.
"Davey is back training with the team," said Bernard Brogan yesterday. Brogan was speaking at Dublin sponsor AIG's re-launch of insurance products for members of all sporting clubs in Ireland. "We are moving on. We had a Leinster final in the middle of it and got over it," Brogan added.
Disciplinary action
The Ballymun Kickhams clubman spent two days in hospital after sustaining a broken nose and other facial injuries in a fight which led to both county managers,
Jim Gavin
and
Kieran McGeeney
, agreeing to not pursue any further disciplinary action.
Both players, Byrne and an unnamed Armagh man, subsequently settled their differences. According to Gavin, the pair had “a good frank discussion with each other after the game. Both regret what happened and are focused on getting back their county jerseys.”
The incident was not in the referee’s report.
Brogan was training nearby when the incident took place and the 2010 footballer of the year believes it has been blown out of proportion.
“The game was played with great merit and great football and both teams learned a lot from it. I think it has been a little bit blown out of proportion. It’s over.”
It may not be over, however, as the GAA are believed to be investigating the legitimacy of management teams imposing their own disciplinary measures, or lack thereof, when a serious assault has taken place at an officially sanctioned game.
Brogan also spoke yesterday about Ger Brennan’s decision to leave the Dublin panel due to injury.
Character
“Ger is a big player for Dublin. His attitude around the dressing-room was probably the best of them, he was a great character, great bit of craic.
“But the legs have been struggling for the last while, he had a long campaign with Vincent’s, has been playing with them for the last two years, so it was tough on the body and he just wants to focus on the club this year and get the body right. But I am sure we will see him back playing intercounty in 2016, stronger than ever.
“It really hones in when you see Eoghan [O’Gara] and Ger around the dressing-room and they are not togging out. We can feed off that – we can say, lads, this can be taken away from you just as quickly as it’s here.”
