The calls for Diarmuid Connolly and Rory O’Carroll to be restored to the Dublin senior football squad have grown louder in the wake of the first round of the local SFC which was played over the past week.

Despite lining out in the unfamiliar surroundings of the centre-back position, the gifted Connolly put in an impressive shift in St Vincent’s 1-14 to 1-6 victory over St Brigid’s while O’Carroll was full-back in Kilmacud Crokes’ 2-13 to 0-14 success over Ballymun Kickhams.

Five-time All-Ireland winner Connolly spent last summer in Boston and his inter-county team-mates went on to claim a fourth Sam Maguire Cup in-a-row in his absence.

The 31-year-old was last seen in a Dublin jersey against Mayo in a league clash in February 2018.

The return of two-time All-Star number 3 O’Carroll from a stint in New Zealand has also given Jim Gavin food for thought.

It won’t have gone unnoticed by the pretenders to the Sky Blues’ throne how their full-back line struggled under the high ball at times during the course of a disappointing (by their high standards!) league campaign.

O’Carroll’s physical presence would, at the very least, make opposing teams think twice before going down the long ball route.

Of course, it is not known publicly if either player would be interested in reviving their inter-county careers. Similarly, Jim Gavin has kept his cards close to his chest when quizzed about a possible recall for Connolly, in particular.

It’s very much a case of watch this space before the ball is thrown in on the ‘Drive for Five’ against the winners of Louth versus Wexford on May 25th.

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