GAA News

If you thought that the Seanie Johnston to Kildare transfer saga was done and dusted, you can think again.

One of the longest running transfer sagas in the recent history of the GAA looked to have been put to bed for good recently when Cavan PRO Declan Woods suggested in the Irish Examiner that the move had all but been ruled out and the most likely scenario was Johnston moving back to play with his home club, Cavan Gaels.

However, despite meeting a number of stumbling blocks along the way, mainly related to doubts about his supposed residency in Straffan, the nippy corner forward has issued another transfer request to Croke Park in one last attempt to switch allegiances to the Lilywhites.

Speaking on Kildare radio station KFM last night, Johnston said: "I believe I previously provided more information than most others do in seeking an inter-county transfer but it was considered to be not enough.

"So I've resubmitted it (another transfer request) with all the information that Croke Park said was required and I'm very hopeful it will be approved soon."

As mentioned above, the principal obstacle in Croke Park sanctioning the move was due to question marks over whether or not Johnston was actually living in Straffan because his day job is as a teacher in Cavan town, which is over an hour’s drive away.

Johnston was adamant that he is actually residing in Straffan and is hopeful that with the new details he has submitted to Croke Park that the move will go ahead.

"I can categorically say I've been living in Straffan for the past couple of months," he said.

"I provided Croke Park with details of the rent agreement and utility bills but this wasn't deemed sufficient.

"It's obviously been quite frustrating for me but I do understand that the GAA wants to be certain that all is in order before granting me the transfer.

"They're probably very nervous about a certain precedent being set."

“A lot of people are talking about the commuting but I have no issue with it,” Johnston added.

"It takes me about an hour and 15 minutes to get to work but I know people working in Dublin city centre with the same commute and it's not considered an issue, even with other inter-county players."

You’d have to admire Johnston’s determination to go ahead with the switch, although this saga has gone on for so long that there is bound to be a bitter after taste whatever conclusion is reached.

With the league almost out of the way and preparations for the Championship beginning in earnest, one would imagine that an agreement will have to be reached pretty quickly if Johnston is going to play for Kieran McGeeney and the Lilywhites this season.