Kildare footballer, Daniel Flynn, returned to collective training last night with the Lilywhites after six weeks out with two hamstring injuries.
By John Harrington
Kildare attacker, Daniel Flynn, hopes to be able to play some part in Kildare’s Leinster SFC Quarter-Final against Offaly on Sunday.
The Johnstownbridge man has been sidelined by one hamstring strain after another, but made a return to collective training last night with the Lilywhites.
“Yeah, a bit of a disaster,” says Flynn of his hamstring woes. “I pulled it down in Cork maybe six weeks ago and then I pulled the left one three weeks later. I'm back full training so in with a shout of being selected for the weekend, but, yeah, it's been a tough couple of weeks.
“I had been feeling good, especially because we've had so much time off and had been able to do a good bit of training on our own. Yeah, very frustrating.
“It's the same process again. You go with the physio and do your one to one with them and build it up slowly. I've done all that and I'm back into collective training tonight (Tuesday). That's tonight and Thursday and then the match at the weekend obviously. All going well, I should be good to go. But it will obviously depend on how this week goes.”
Summer 2021 is officially on! In attendance during the AIB GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship launch at Croke Park in Dublin are, from left, Conor Sweeney, Ballyporeen and Tipperary, Ryan O’Donoghue, Belmullet and Mayo, Daniel Flynn, Johnstownbridge and Kildare, and Paul Donaghy, Dungannon Thomas Clarkes and Tyrone as AIB celebrated the return of summer football and the reignition of county rivalries nationwide ahead of some of #TheToughest games of the year.
Flynn is itching for action because there’s a good buzz in the Kildare panel right now after gaining promotion to Division 1 of the Allianz Football League thanks to a hard-fought victory over rivals Meath.
It looks like Jack O’Connor is getting a nice tune out of the team now in the second year of his reign, and Flynn admits he likes the style of kick-passing, attacking football the former All-Ireland winning Kerry manager is encouraging his team to play.
"I do,” says Flynn. “You're not disregarding your defensive duties but you're also not afraid to have a go at the other end, which is grand. We were talking before about expressing yourself in games, if you're trying to do the right thing and you make a mistake no one minds. It is nice to be playing that attacking brand of football."
"It was a tough gig I think last year, taking it over. I don't want to disregard last year, just to get out and play was brilliant. We got to work on stuff in training and we've had a bit more freedom this year to have a crack I think. It's going well. Jack's good. He's really good with the lads and very good at training. His record speaks for itself. You can ring Jack for a chat and have good craic with him."
Kildare will be favourites to beat Offaly on Sunday, but Flynn is wary of the threat posed by a team that won promotion to Division 2 of the Allianz Football League this year and already has a win in the Championship over Louth under their belts.
“They've been going well,” he says. “You look at the game last year, it was no walk in the park for us. They ran us close and should have had a couple of more goal chances.
“Neil Flynn fairly pulled us out of trouble when he came on to kick some scores. It's not going to be straightforward. I'd know a lot of the Offaly lads as well from going to school there. They're going well and they're coming in under the radar. It won't be straightforward.
“Any time you play the likes of Meath, Offaly, or Laois, it's a good battle and you're well up for it.”
