‘I’ll see how the body is after this campaign’: Keaney undecided on Dublin future

CONAL KEANEY WILL leave any decision on his Dublin future until after Sunday’s Leinster club hurling final against Ballyhale Shamrocks.

Ballyboden St Endas’ Conal Keaney is pictured ahead of the AIB GAA Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final where they face Ballyhale Shamrocks on Sunday, December 2nd at Netwatch Cullen Park.

Source: David Fitzgerald/SPORTSFILE

Ballyboden St Enda’s, who face the most decorated club in Leinster, are back in their first provincial final in a decade after coming through two bouts of extra-time against Coolderry in a testing last four clash.

After making a surprise comeback to the Dublin colours this year – following two years out of the inter-county game – Keaney says he’ll wait until the club campaign ends before he makes a call on committing to the county side for 2019.

It’s been a taxing campaign for Ballyboden. The 36-year-old won his seventh Dublin SHC title when they defeated Kilmacud Crokes after a replay in the county final, before they needed extra-time to overcome Clonkill and then needed almost 100 minutes to see-off the Offaly champions in the semi-final.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll see how the body is after this campaign. It’s been a hard enough campaign. We’ll see what happens on Sunday.

(The body) is good. It’s not too bad considering the amount of games we played. We’ll see what happens after that.”

Pat Gilroy left as Dublin boss after just one season due to work commitments and he was replaced by double All-Ireland winning Cuala manager Mattie Kenny.

“I think he was in touch, in touch to say he’s not going to be in touch anymore and let everyone concentrate on the club. He obviously knows that you don’t want to be distracted by the county when you’re still in with the club.

I think he’s respecting that, he’ll probably touch base with a lot of lads that he wants between now and Christmas, regardless of the result on Sunday.

“I don’t know Mattie, I’ve never worked with him. I haven’t sat down and talked to him, I don’t know anything about him. The Cuala lads would say he’s very prepared, he’s well-drilled and he knows what he wants.

“You have to go with what he’s won in Cuala. That’s some achievement to get two All-Irelands back-to-back. If he can bring that to Dublin, it’ll be great.”

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