Banty has no regrets over Geraghty recall

Meath manager Seamus McEnaney has insisted that he has no regrets over his decision to draft 38-year-old Graham Geraghty into the Royals' squad ahead of the Championship.

In fact, McEnaney says his only regret is that the two-time All-Ireland winner - who had been retired from inter-county duty for three years - had his comeback thwarted by injury.

Speaking on the RTE's The Committee Room, the Monaghan native said he felt Geraghty could have made a difference in the latter stages of last Saturday's Round 3 Qualifier defeat to Kildare.

"No, the biggest disappointment for me in the Graham Geraghty scenario is that he was unavailable to me with 20 minutes to go last Saturday night when the game was in the melting pot," said McEnaney.

"I absolutely would have loved to have had him. That is the only disappointing part in the Graham Geraghty scenario.

"He's a fantastic footballer. He's been more than very positive to the whole group. He's a brilliant player and still has a lot more to offer to Meath."

Geraghty has been ruled out for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, but McEnaney is adamant that the Clann na Gael man could still play some role for the Royals next year.

Meanwhile, McEnaney said it was too soon after exiting the Championship to make any decisions on his future as Meath manager.

'Banty's' decision to recall Geraghty caused friction in the Meath camp and predicated the departure of two of his selectors, but McEnaney insisted that he always retained the full support of the players.

"There are a lot of things and scenarios," he said. "There are players, the county board, myself, the family, the backroom staff and businesses.

"Four days after you've been beaten in the championship is certainly not the time to be making decisions like that."