Conal Keaney to concentrate on hurling this year

Former Dublin dual star Conal Keaney has decided to concentrate his efforts solely on hurling for the upcoming season.

Keaney has been a member of the Dublin football panel since 2004 and has won five Leinster titles in the last six years. He played under Pat Gilroy as the Dubs reached the All-Ireland semi-final last season, but was not a regular starter in Dublin’s championship campaign and was restricted to cameo appearances off the bench.

Keaney, who plays football and hurling with the Ballyboden St. Enda's club, was part of the Dublin hurling panel in 2003 and 2004 and even received an All-Star nomination for his displays in 2003. He decided to quit hurling in order to concentrate on football in 2005, but six years later, has switched direction and decided to throw his lot in with the Dublin hurlers under Anthony Daly in this campaign.

Speculation that Keaney wouldn’t be part of the football panel mounted when he failed to show for the footballers’ first training session of the season on Tuesday morning, but he is believed to have discussed the matter with Gilroy and Daly before coming to a decision.