CONTRARY TO REPORTS, Jason Sherlock has not left the Dublin management team and is alongside Jim Gavin at tonight’s Allianz League game against Kerry in Tralee. 

A report in the Irish Mirror yesterday – which was picked up by most of the national media including The42 - claimed that Sherlock had left the Dubs’ management team after relations had allegedly become strained with Gavin, but it has been scotched by Sherlock’s presence at Austin Stack Park tonight. 

Jason Sherlock, photographed during Dublin's warm-up ahead of tonight's Allianz League game with Kerry. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO

It is Sherlock’s first appearance of 2019, having been absent for Dublin’s first two league games thus far.

A series of former Dublin footballers criticised the report, with Ciaran Whelan labelling it as “fake news” on RTÉ.

Tomás Quinn said the report was “unfounded” on the same channel, while on eir Sport, Senan Connell pointed out that it is not unusual for Gavin’s selectors to be given some time off at the start of the season. 

Jason Sherlock is here. We don’t know his role in the set-up, but he is definitely still involved. Declan Darcy was gone for the first two matches last year, and a lot of players are given a rest. He could have been away for various reasons: personal reasons, holidays. But those pictures say it all, he got off the bus tonight with the team. 

The same report claimed that Diarmuid Connolly was conducting one-to-one training sessions with Bryan Cullen, seemingly paving the way for his return to the Dublin set-up, but Whelan claimed on RTE that there was little substance to this, too. 

Diarmuid is back playing with his club. I don’t think there’s much substance linking him to the Dublin squad at this point. If he has his appetite back, and he wants to get back playing after having a break last year, that’s all the better for Dublin but I think there’s a bit of a road to travel in that one.

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