Cahill glad to be back so soon

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: BARRY CAHILL had been eyeing up Dublin's football league match against Cavan ever since the fixture list was drawn up last November.

Not only had he never played them at senior level, but both his parents hail from Cavan, and that was sure to make this a standout game, at least in the Cahill household.

However, Saturday's Division Two clash in Breffni Park has arrived about a week too soon, as Cahill is only now recovered from the knee injury sustained in the Dubs Stars challenge back on December 29th.

It's a pity to miss it, he says, but the obvious consolation is he has the rest of the season to look forward to - because it could have been worse.

"That injury turned out to be a grade one tear in the medial ligament, in the right knee," explains Cahill. "It still required a six-week break, but thankfully it wasn't anything more serious, such as the cruciate tear.

"Initially, that thought always runs through your head. And I'd torn my cruciate on my left knee a couple of years back. This time I got a scan straight away and thankfully it just turned out to me the medial ligament.

"So I'll be back to full training this weekend, having done a bit the last couple of weeks. I just haven't been able to do the full contact training yet. I was really hoping to make it back for the Cavan game this weekend, especially given the family connection.

" I've lots of friends and relatives up in Cavan as well, so it would have been very nice. It's just come a few days too early. And it was one of those games I was really looking forward too.

"My father played with Cavan back in the 1970s, during the lean years, and while I played Cavan a few times in friendlies, never in a competitive game.

"But we've Monaghan in Parnell Park in two weeks, and that's definitely where I want to make my return. When you're out a while like I have been you are eager to get back playing."

While he's been working hard on his own recovery, Cahill also feels for fellow Dublin defender Paul Brogan who last week sustained that dreaded cruciate injury while playing for his college, and will miss the rest of the season.

"I've been working close with the team physio, John Murphy, and I've been in the gym fairly religiously since the injury. A lot of that has been about building up the knee as much as possible, so that it doesn't happen again down the line. But on the positive side, if you are going to get injured, January is probably the time for it.

"Paul Brogan has unfortunately done his cruciate, and quite a few Dublin players have had that injury. Peader Andrews a while back, and Bernard Brogan did it a few years back as well. It can be a difficult injury to get back from, and you can be out for the guts of nine or 10 months. And when you're young it can be a bit disillusioning.

" Fortunately I was able to get back from mine, and I'm sure Paul should be fine."

After a four-week break from the league - one of which was enforced by the Cork fiasco - Dublin are understandably eager to get back playing, and while Cahill wouldn't have been directly involved, he was sorry to see Dublin's game against Cork decided in the committee room.

"We've a bad record against Cork, especially down there. I don't think Dublin have won in nearly 30 years down in Cork. So we were disappointed not to have played that game. All week we'd been gearing up for it, and it was hard on the team, but in the end it was out of our hands."

It's inevitable, however, that Dublin already have one eye on the championship, where they know they'll ultimately be judged. Cahill too is thinking longer-term.

"Looking back on 2007, I think as a team we improved maybe five per cent on 2006, and for 2008 we'll be looking to do the same again. I don't think we're that far away from winning an All-Ireland, or getting to a final anyway.

"If we manage to improve by the small percentage we should be there or there about. But it's a long, hard road, and August and September certainly feels like a long way away at this stage. We're just training as hard as we can, and blooding as many new players as we can."

Shane Ryan returns to the Dublin line-up for Saturday's game, having recovered from a lower back injury, and is named alongside Eamonn Fennell at midfield. Bryan Cullen is named at wing forward, with Alan Brogan at centre forward, with Jason Sherlock and Bernard Brogan in the full forward line.

Meanwhile, at last night's meeting of the Munster Council, Pat Fitzgerald, the former Limerick County Board Chairman, was announced as the new secretary and chief executive, with the deputy secretary position going to Daniel Nelligan of Kerry.

DUBLIN (SF v Cavan): S Cluxton; D Henry, R McConnell, S O'Shaughnessy; P McMahon, P Casey, C Moran; E Fennell, S Ryan; B Cullen, A Brogan, M Vaughan; J Sherlock, B Brogan, B McManamon.

WEEKEND FIXTURES

TODAY: Sigerson Cup Football quarter-finals (Extra-time if necessary): University of Limerick v GMIT, Gaelic Grounds, 2.0; Cork IT v Garda TC, Cork IT, postponed; QUB v UUJ, The Dub, 2.0; IT Tralee v DIT, Tralee, 2.0.

FRIDAY: Fitzgibbon Cup Hurling semi-finals: Limerick IT v GMIT, Cork IT, 1.0; Waterford IT v UCC, Cork IT, 3.0.

SATURDAY: National Football League - Division One: Laois v Mayo, Portlaoise, 7.0, R Hickey (Clare).

Division Two: Cavan v Dublin, Breffni Park, 7.0, P Fox (Westmeath).

Division Four: Antrim v Offaly, Casement Park, 7.0, M Higgins (Fermanagh) Fitzgibbon Cup final: LIT/GMIT v WIT/UCC, Cork IT, 3.15.

SUNDAY: National Football League (All games 2.30 unless stated) - Division One: Kildare v Donegal, Newbridge, J McQuillan (Cavan); Galway v Tyrone, Pearse Stadium, J Geaney (Cork); Kerry v Derry, Killarney, M Collins (Cork).

Division Two: Roscommon v Cork, Kiltoom, E Murtagh (Longford); Monaghan v Armagh, Clones, J Bannon (Longford); Westmeath v Meath, Cusack Park, P McEnaney (Monaghan).

Division Three: Sligo v Limerick, Markievicz Park, D Fahy (Longford); Longford v Fermanagh, Pearse Park, P Hughes (Armagh); Wexford v Down, Wexford Park, P Russell (Tipperary); Louth v Leitrim, Dundalk, J McKee (Armagh).

Division Four: Tipperary v London, Ardfinnan, 1.0, E Kinsella (Louth); Waterford v Clare, Dungarvan, M Collins (Cork), Wicklow v Kilkenny, Aughrim, S Carroll (Westmeath).