Galway hurling legend Cyril Farrell believes his namesake Dessie is right to try everything in his power to win another All-Ireland SFC title for Dublin, including a sensational return to the fold for Stephen Cluxton.
Cluxton’s return to the Dublin squad for last Sunday’s Division 2 FL clash with Louth shocked the GAA world given that the eight-time All-Ireland SFC winner was understood to have hung up his county boots in 2021.
The 41-year-old is now back in the fold in their bid to land another Sam Maguire, though, and Farrell can totally understand where the Dublin boss is coming from.
Farrell once spent the bulk of a night in the house of retired goalkeeper Michael Conneely before eventually coaxing him back in with Galway and he was the man between the sticks when a famous All-Ireland SHC success followed in 1980.
“If you’re over a team and you’re able, you’re going to bring back the best fellas. That’s the way I’d be anyway,” the three-time All-Ireland SHC-winning manager told OurGame.
Speaking as part of a special ‘The Sunday Game Reunion’ show, Farrell added: “I remember in 1980 I went to a house to get Michael Conneely the goalie, he’d been dropped in 1978 or ’79 and he was gone.
“I went down to his house and his wife was there and I stayed until half three or four in the morning talking to him to get him back, I needed him and he was saying he had a bad back, which he did.
“He said ‘I’m not able for the training and kind of gone past it’ but I told him ‘No, no I don’t think you’re past it and I’m going to use you’. I said ‘I’m not going until you say yes!’
“If you see a fella that you want for a county set-up, you have to go and get him if he’s good enough to get back.
“No more than the two boys in America (Gerry McInerney and Pete Finnerty), we could have left them in it but we needed them. You need everyone to win an All-Ireland.”
