DUBLIN midfielder Paul Bealin confirmed yesterday that he is interested in returning to soccer, this time with Drogheda United. The Ballyboden St Enda's player who mans the Dublin midfield with his club colleague Brian Stynes, says that he has been talking with the Co Louth club, on their invitation, and will have a better idea of where he stands in a few days. Last year he played with Waterford United.
Bealin was a late-comer to Gaelic football. By the time he started with junior club St Kevin's he was too old to play minor. He had already won Community Games and All-Ireland schools cup soccer medals with Greenhills.
"We (Dublin) played Drogheda in a charity soccer match a few weeks ago and they invited me to their offices afterwards. They seemed to be happy enough with me," said Bealin. His favourite position is as a central defender.
Bealin, like Stynes, is very much focused on Dublin's upcoming league campaign and on training. He does not see any great difficulty in playing both codes, something he proved when turning out with Waterford last year.
Stynes says that the approach will be different for Dublin this winter. "There is a better pool of talent in the panel now and players will be competing for places."
Meanwhile, it is understood that Michael Curley's referee's report on last Sunday's controversial All-Ireland senior football semi-final has arrived at Croke Park.
Next week's meeting of the Games Administration Committee will decide on whether video evidence should be used to analyse particular incident, which say clearly shows a Meath stepping on a prostrate Tyrone player's head.
The video gives the impression the Meath player, who had stumbled, places his boot on Brian Dooher's head. The Tyrone right half-forward had sustained a head wound, which required six stitches, much earlier in the game.
Tyrone midfielder Jody Gormley sustained a broken thumb in the match. Peter Canavan would seem to be tired of the whole aftermath of Sunday's game and has decided to take a few days rest away from home. He is not expected to play football again until after Christmas.
Meanwhile, in the build-up to Sunday's All-Ireland under-21 semi-final replay between Cavan and Meath, the Northern team are sceptical about suggestions that Meath will have their minds elsewhere.
Meath manager Christy Moore points out, however: "If there was no senior All-Ireland waiting for many of our players there would be no doubt about them giving their heart and soul to Sunday's match. Playing in an All-Ireland senior final is the pinnacle of any player's career.
Cavan are fortunate to have the services of centre back Peter Reilly. He was involved in a car accident recently, and while senior player Pat Shields sustained a dislocated hip in the crash, Reilly emerged unhurt. The drawn game attracted a crowd in the region of 10,000, most of them from Cavan, according to Moore. With football fever currently sweeping across Meath that support will surely balance out on Sunday.
Meath are happy to be able to name an unchanged team. This means that their star seniors, Mark O'Reilly, Darren Fay, Paddy Reynolds, Trevor Giles and Barry Callaghan are included.
Giles plays in midfield for the under-21s while Callaghan, a corner-forward with the seniors, is the under-21 full-forward.
Neither side encountered any great dangers on the way to winning their respective provincial crowns.
Cavan opened against Antrim, had a tight game against Armagh, but easily accounted for a very disappointing Derry in the Ulster final.
Meath had their toughest test against Louth in the Leinster final, after getting it easy against Wicklow and Westmeath.
