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Roscommon star Daire Cregg says the return of clubmate Cian McKeon to the county fold is a ‘massive addition’ for 2025.

Rossies fans are already licking their lips at the prospect of Ciarain Murtagh‘s comeback after a year out.

Murtagh won a Boston SFC medal back in August before playing for Connacht alongside Cregg in last month’s interprovincial tournament at Croke Park.

Cregg reckons there are ‘not too many better footballers in the country than Ciarain’ and revealed that McKeon has also signed up.

McKeon was a starter for Roscommon in 2023 but opted to travel this year and also impressed in the US, winning the Chicago SFC with Wolfe Tones.

Speaking on Shannonside FM’s The Rossie GAA Podcast, Cregg said Roscommon have the talent to target provincial and All-Ireland honours.

Cregg said: “We’re lucky we’re getting Ciarain Murtagh back who is a massive addition. I played the summer with him in Boston and there are not too many better footballers in the country than Ciarain.

“We have a couple of really good young lads coming back too, even Cian McKeon, my own clubmate is back.

“He’s a massive addition. We just feel really confident going into it. I think we’re really building and hopefully that will show when it comes down to it.”

Cregg starred in the Sigerson Cup final for UCD and started all of Roscommon’s National League and Championship games.

They were only defeated by eventual champions Armagh at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage and the Boyle man is upbeat about the coming seasons.

Asked if he’s targeting a Connacht title, Cregg said: “Listen, a Connacht title is…I want to win one on the way to winning an All-Ireland.

“We’re probably long enough waiting around in Roscommon now not to be talking about…if we’re going to have a chance, we have a really good unit now, a really good team.

“We all get on so well. We have a great bond on and off the pitch. I think we’re right up there. Listen, an All-Ireland is everyone’s goal at the start of the year and I’m no different. I think we’re really not too far away.”

Cregg is among the game’s most talented young attackers and knocked back an AFL approach from Carlton this year.

The 2021 All-Ireland U-20 finalist revealed: “I probably love the game too much and I don’t feel I’d be fully…that I’d be getting the best out of myself over there because I’d miss this side of things too much.”

On football’s proposed new rules, which should favour attackers like Cregg, he said he’s ‘excited’ about them.

Cregg said: “I think the two-point arc felt a little bit forced so hopefully the more games happen, the more natural that will become.

“I’m glad they’ve got rid of the four-point goal, I think that would have created too much gaps between teams.

“I liked the mark as it was, as a rule. I know a lot of people didn’t, it was a nice rule. The fact that’s been kept in some regard is nice.

“I think they’re exciting, definitely, and it’ll make for a very different league and Championship campaign.”

AFTER getting a monkey off their backs last time out, Tullamore are hoping to be a banana skin for Cuala this weekend.

And skipper Declan Hogan has urged his team-mates to relish the chance to test themselves against a side led by ‘all-time great’ Con O’Callaghan.

Tullamore are 11-2 outsiders to stun the Dublin champions, who are also favourites to go all the way to All-Ireland Club SFC glory in January.

Ahead of Saturday’s Leinster semi-final at Parnell Park, Hogan told SunSport: “You don’t want lads going up there with any fear.

“It’s a massive opportunity and these games are there to be embraced. We always say that there’s no need to go out and be nervous when you know how much preparation you’ve done.

“We’re going to have our hands full against a top-class side but this is exactly where you want to be.

“It’s a dream scenario for any player to be still playing for your club at this time of the year. We can’t wait for 7.15 on Saturday evening.”

Hogan collected his fourth Offaly SFC medal last month when Tullamore completed a successful defence of their title at the expense of Ferbane.

But a taste of victory beyond the county bounds had proven elusive until they got the better of Wicklow champions Tinahely ten days ago.

Ending a run of five straight defeats, it was Tullamore’s first win in the provincial competition since they overcame Newtowncashel of Longford after a replay in November 1977.

Hogan admitted: “It was great to get that monkey off our backs. It had been nearly 50 years since the club had a win in Leinster so it was nice to get that ticked off.

“There was a massive sense of relief for the team but probably more so for the people of Tullamore and the supporters.

“We’ve had a few close calls over the years and we were coming out on the wrong end, so it was great to finally get that win. Hopefully we can carry that momentum into the weekend now.

“You have to make the most of these opportunities when they come. There’s no telling what could happen next year or the after.

“You might not win another county title, let alone be in a Leinster semi-final. It’s going to be a massive occasion and it’s one to be enjoyed.”

A man-marking job on Cuala’s talisman Con O’Callaghan could be in store for Hogan in Donnycarney.

Still, it was King Con’s younger brother Niall who lit up their quarter-final win over Naas by hitting 1-5 from play.

LEGEND

Another member of the O’Callaghan clan, Eoghan, also played a starring role in defence alongside nine-time All-Ireland winner Mick Fitzsimons when the Dalkey outfit claimed their first Dublin SFC title by toppling Kilmacud Crokes.

Hogan insisted: “These are the games you want to be involved in and you want to put yourself up against the very best players in the game. Con O’Callaghan is up there as one of the all-time greats.

“He’ll go down as a hall-of-fame GAA player – it’s as simple as that. 

“He’s a massive threat that we’ll have to deal with but he has a couple of brothers as well who are top players, so we’ll have our work cut out for us. Nothing less than our very best will do.”

Hogan, who made his Offaly senior debut in 2015, will be back for another inter-county campaign in the new year as the Faithful look to make inroads under the joint-management of Declan Kelly and All-Ireland-winning former Tyrone gaffer Mickey Harte.

But he added: “I’m looking forward to getting going with Offaly in 2025. Having said that, I very much have my Tullamore hat on for the last couple of weeks.

“Hopefully it’ll stay on for another little while yet.”

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FORMER Derry skipper Gerard O’Kane reckons Chrissy McKaigue is worthy of consideration as one of the best players the county has ever produced.

McKaigue, 35, has announced his retirement from inter-county football after winning two Ulster SFC titles and a National League.

The Slaughtneil defender was the skipper in 2022 when Derry ended a 24-year wait for provincial glory. He was also recognised as an All-Star that season.

The county board described him as ‘a Derry great’ in a statement confirming the end of a career that amounted to 149 appearances.

And O’Kane said: “Comparing players in different positions and from different generations is difficult. But Chrissy definitely deserves to be included in that conversation over the course of the time that I’ve been watching Derry. 

“I’d describe him as a generational talent in that he’s someone who’s going to be remembered for a long, long time.”

O’Kane believes the youngsters in the Derry panel are sure to have reaped the benefits of having played alongside McKaigue before he signed off.

He said: “A lot of lads who have come into the panel in the last while would have taken a lot from being able to observe the standards that Chrissy set. 

“He would have helped them to understand what’s required in terms of preparation at that level because he’s so meticulous in his approach, which I’m sure has rubbed off on those around him.”

At a time when Eoin McEvoy has attracted interest from the AFL, the departure of McKaigue has dealt an early blow to new Derry gaffer Paddy Tally.

O’Kane added: “Listen, Chrissy was still looking after the big man-marking jobs like David Clifford this year so it won’t be easy at all to replace that. What he brings as a leader is massive as well. 

“And with the noises about Eoin McEvoy possibly heading to Australia, it’s definitely a loss.”

ALWAYS leave them wanting more. 

It was the shock of it, more than anything when Brian Fenton’s inter-county retirement was confirmed. 

Only two weeks have passed since James McCarthy bid The Blues farewell to no huge surprise at 34 – but Monday night’s news that Fenton followed suit was a bombshell. 

The Raheny man is only 31 and will go down as one of the all-time greats – and perhaps the best midfielder to ever play the game.  

His potential was clear when he spearheaded Dublin’s All-Ireland under-21 title in 2014, but few could have predicted the dream decade that followed. 

Not many could control a game like him, and no more proof was needed when he was man of the match in the 2015 senior final when the Dubs won ugly against Kerry. 

At 22, Fenton shone brightest on a field littered with the biggest stars. Power, aggression, defence, attack – he had it all.  

It took the Kingdom years to recover from that defeat as Jim Gavin’s men elevated themselves to the greatest team of all time, driven by Fenton’s sheer brilliance at the heart of it. 

The facts and figures flowing through his career are staggering. He made his SFC debut against Longford in 2015, and his first championship loss wasn’t until their 2021 semi-final defeat to Mayo. 

Fenton played 43 times in that 45-game unbeaten championship run as they won six All-Irelands in a row between 2015 and 2020.  

He played in 29 Leinster SFC games and won them all.

The only one he missed was their quarter-final win over Meath this summer, when he was suspended for his red card in their NFL Division 1 final loss to Derry – a rare blot on one of the most golden copybooks ever. 

Dublin have played 64 games in league and championship football since Dessie Farrell’s reign began in 2020, and Fenton has played in 63 of them.  

If Farrell gave him his start at under-21 level and saw him out at the end, Gavin’s influence in between was colossal. 

If Roy Keane mirrored Alex Ferguson’s character on the pitch at Manchester United, Fenton was that man for Gavin’s Dublin. 

He consistently went above and beyond when it came to the key attributes his manager wanted in the perfect player – resilience, leadership, and optimal performance. 

Fenton ticked them all, pretty much every time. He played games on his terms and made it look so easy with his sheer strength and outrageous fitness. Every inch was covered. 

He ghosted in for vital scores time and time again – from his goal just four minutes into his league debut in Monaghan against Clones to his score against Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland final to put Dublin a point up before powering home. 

Fenton brought his game to a whole new level last season when the Dubs got the band back together for one last dance. 

Stephen Cluxton, Jack McCaffrey and Paul Mannion all returned after stepping away in 2021 as they watched Tyrone and Kerry conquer from the sidelines. 

The Jacks were back, but a huge cloud hangs over the capital now. McCarthy’s departure was one thing, but losing Fenton is on a totally different scale. 

The Hill 16 faithful will hope this is not the end, given Michael Murphy is back in the Donegal fold after a two-year hiatus.

Of course, there is more to life than football. Fenton often travels during the off-season and got engaged to his beloved Katie last December. 

WHO’S NEXT?

But with him and McCarthy absent from the dressing room and more likely to follow, Dublin’s 2025 credentials are in serious doubt. 

It remains to be seen if McCaffrey, Mannion and Cluxton will go again. Michael Fitzsimons is in the same boat but is focussing on Saturday’s Leinster club SFC semi-final with Cuala. 

Every team goes through transition and few counties have handled it quite like the Dubs. 

The dressing room Fenton entered just under a decade ago was a much different place to the one he leaves. 

Dublin powered on when the likes of Bernard Brogan, Michael Darragh Macauley, Paul Flynn, Philly McMahon and Rory O’Carroll left the fold. 

But this is different. Brian Fenton in his pomp is irreplaceable. An encore could come down the line, but the curtain is down now.

What a performer, we all wanted more.

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