Two years on and both men will be reunited on ‘Field A’ at Canton, not Croke Park.
GAA fans in Boston are in for a treat, later this month, as two of Ireland’s top talents will face off against each other. Diarmuid Connolly will make his third appearance of the Boston championship on Sunday, against Connemara Gaels. The following weekend sees them up against Wolfe Tones.
The St Vincent’s and Dublin forward, who opted out of inter-county action this summer, made his debut for Donegal Boston in the victory over Connemara Gaels. He scored 0-2 in the game as teammate Ciarán McFaul ran amok.
Up next as table-topping Wolfe Tones and a reunion with an old Leinster foe.
Handbags in Croker. Westmeath aren't here to lie down.#GAA pic.twitter.com/yCkIeeN3mV
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) July 17, 2016
Among the Tones playing roster is former Westmeath vice captain James Dolan. Just under a fortnight to the Lake County’s Leinster championship opener, Dolan, who has been a key player for them in recent years, told manager Colin Kelly he would be off to America for the summer.
“I can’t stand here and say I’m happy about it at all,” said Kelly in an interview with Colm Parkinson on the GAA Hour soon after the decision was made public.
“He’s been an outstanding player, an outstanding talent. He’s a player I would have gotten fairly close to over the last couple of months,”
“It was a shock to say the least when he went. He would be held with good regard in the dressing room and in the game in general.”
Dolan and Connolly previously clashed with Dolan in the 2016 Leinster final. The Westmeath man ruffled Connolly’s hair as he jogged past him. In response, Connolly put him in a head-lock and put him on the deck, sparking a massive meleé on the Croke Park pitch.
The Dubliner was booked for his role in the fracas, prompting a strong defence from his boss Jim Gavin. Dolan saw yellow too.
Following that game, Tom Cribbin, who was Westmeath boss at the time, admitted Connolly had been targeted. He commented:
“Look, Diarmuid is a fabulous player. He can get a bit excited at times and probably we were looking for him to.
“We have to be fair, we have to be honest: We were hoping to try and get someone to entice him, sure that’s what most teams do.”
It will be interesting to see if Wolfe Tones opt to employ a similar tactic against Donegal Boston’s latest acquisition on Sunday, July 29 at Field A, Canton.
Tones top the championship table after five games and disposed of Aidan McAnespies 4-17 to 0-13 last weekend. A win for Donegal Boston, though, would put them right in the mix to secure top spot.
