Graham Geraghty has no intention of taking his former Meath team-mate Bernard Flynn's advice to hang up his boots.

Flynn described the shock decision by Meath manager Seamus McEnaney to recall the 1999 All-Ireland winning captain to his squad last May as a "retrograde step", but speaking at the launch of the Allianz FL in Belfast yesterday, the soon-to-be 39-year-old hit back by saying: "I would know Bernard fairly well and he plays to the media sometimes and tells them what they want to hear.

"I would say if I met him tomorrow, he would say 'it is great to see you back'.

"If I didn't think I was able I wouldn't bother coming back. Some lads are different. Bernard was unlucky enough in that he picked up a lot of injuries coming to the end of his career and he probably finished prematurely as well.

"I am just delighted that I have the chance to go on and play another year."

The Meath player/selector also offered a stout defence of his manager, who came under fire after a difficult first season at the helm.

"Judge him on this year more than last year. He was getting to know the lads and their best positions when we played Kildare (in the Leinster SFC)," he continued.

"We were unlucky enough to lose out against them in Navan but this will be the year to judge him. After this year we will see where it takes us.

"People were very hard on him last year, I thought. Any manager coming in wants to do their best, they want to win. He was appointed very late, I think he came in November, and he hadn't much time to get his feet under the table with everything that was going on." Tweet

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