Former Cavan star Seanie Johnston says he now regrets his infamous inter-county transfer to Kildare over a decade ago.

2012 saw the Breffni forward switching from his native county to Kildare and, looking back on it now, he admits he has regrets over the decision he took at the time.

"In my life, in Ireland, in Cavan, this was just a mad time, it was a mad time,” he said on the BBC’s GAA Social Podcast.

"I think the most important point for me to say, and it's probably something I haven't been forthcoming enough with, is to say that looking back now, I was wrong in a lot of things I did. It's probably taken until nearly 2023 to admit it.

"At that stage, I was 25 or 26 years of age at time, I had worked my backside off, in my head, to be the best player I could possibly be and I got too big for my boots, is the first main thing I would like to say.

“I was badly hurt and my ego was massively hit I would say. Then you get into a situation where things start spiralling."

As it happened, Cavan would face Kildare in the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers that summer, with Johnston coming off the bench to kick a point in the Lilywhites' victory against his former team.

The Cavan Gaels clubman revealed that he had pondered over the thought of asking then Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney not to play him in a game that his family had left the country prior to.

"Putting yourself in my scenario then, could you imagine if I had said no to Kieran McGeeney? What would he have been thinking?

"Do I look back and wish he hadn't have put me on? Yeah.

"One thing my father did say to me: 'Look, this will go to the grave with you so you better be ready for it'.

"He was right. It is probably a very strong way of thinking but I wouldn't say he was wrong."

Tweet

Most Read Stories