These lads have been missing in action.
And their counties have certainly missed them. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and these great white hopes are set to return to their county’s football set-ups and right all the wrongs of last year, and all previous years.
These boys are going to come in and freshen it up, they’re going to change it up and they’re going to save their county.
They were missing last year for one reason or another, but now they’re back and ready to make up for lost time.
1. Odhrán MacNiallais (Donegal)
MacNiallais burst onto the Donegal scene as a sprightly 18-year-old under Jim McGuinness in 2011. Then, he was drafted into the squad as a highly rated minor.
Seven years on and the more things change, the more they stay the same. MacNiallais is back and the whole of Donegal still have huge hopes for him. Huge hopes and huge expectations.
The midfielder really began to carve out a name for himself in the year 2014 when he helped himself to three wonder-points in the Ulster final against Monaghan. These memories are still fresh in the mind of his county’s supporters.
Donegal fans were struck by his wondrous shooting ability off his left foot and his languid, relaxed playing style from his midfield position. This was never better encapsulated than in the 2016 Ulster final against Tyrone when he went score for score with Sean Cavanagh and Peter Harte to keep Rory Gallagher’s men in the game.
At the beginning of 2017, the 25-year-old decided to take a year out of the game in order to travel to America.
His form for his club in their march to the Donegal county final has earned him a recall.
He still has that class – that unique class. They’ll be hoping he can reproduce it in the green and gold.
2. Steven O’Brien (Tipperary)
O’Brien departed Liam Kearns’ football set-up at the beginning of the 2016 season with high hopes of earning a starting berth under Michael Ryan. The Ballina club man spent the last two seasons plying his trade with the Premier County’s hurlers, but he hasn’t made the impact he had hoped for.
He was scarcely used in Tipperary’s All-Ireland winning 2016 season and although he made a run of starts and a positive impact in the 2017 league, when it really came down to it in the cauldron a championship semi-final against Galway, Ryan didn’t trust him enough to bring him off the bench.
This was obviously a source of disappointment for the DCU student and he has made the call to return to football – a massive boost for the side.
Most of Tipperary are pleased with this decision because, although he is an influential hurler, football appears to come more naturally to the powerhouse midfielder.
His fetching abilities will be crucial for his side, as will his forward bursts and his propensity to kick a score.
It’s a big year for Tipperary. It’s a big year for O’Brien.
3. Ciarán Sheehan (Cork)
Cork supporters have hope, they’ve lots and lots of hope.
After four years Down Under, Sheehan, a member of the Rebels’ 2010 All-Ireland winning side, called time on an injury-ravaged AFL career.
Though he has not yet mentioned an intention to return or to stay away from the inter-county football scene in 2018, Cork football followers are daring to dream.
The powerhouse forward is near unplayable on his day, possessing an innate and freakish ability to win his own ball, and he also has a left foot to die for.
They’ll be hoping new Cork football manager Ronan McCarthy can convince the Éire Óg club man back into the fold, that he can overcome his injury troubles of the past and that he can be the catalyst to future success.
God knows they’ve underachieved in his absence.
4. Pádraig McKeever (Meath)
“He was the main man up front, as he has been for a number of years for Simonstown.”
Those were the words of former Royal County star Cian Ward after Padraig McKeever fired Simonstown Gaels to their second county title in two years last month.
McKeever was named man-of-the-match for both of those triumphs, putting him alongside the illustrious pair of Meath legends Mick Lyons and Finian Murtagh as the only players to collect that award twice.
It raises the inevitable question – why is one of the best club footballers in the county not representing his county? Because apart from O’Byrne Cup outings and a couple of league appearances, his Meath career has never really got going.
It will be even more difficult to ignore him after his exploits last year.
5. Connor McAliskey (Tyrone)
The full forward missed the entire 2017 season after he tore his cruciate around this time last year in a McKenna Cup game for Tyrone.
He was a huge loss for Mickey Harte’s men in more ways than one last season because the size, power, strength and ball-winning capabilities he possesses in the full forward line are something they simply don’t have without him
Now he’s back. Now he’s raring for action again.
