Niall Tutty can't wait to see Ciaran Kilkenny pull on the Castleknock jersey again.

The Dublin star's decision to call time on his AFL career effectively before it had even started is sweet music to the ears of every GAA supporter in Ireland and - as Dublin and Leinster junior champions Castleknock prepare to lock horns with Kenmare Shamrocks - Tutty has more reason than most to be pleased:

"It's a massive boost for the club," he admits in The Examiner. "We're facing into the All-Ireland junior football semi-final on January 27th in Mitchelstown so we didn't think we had Ciaran because he was due to go back to Australia.

"We're delighted with the news and we're hopeful he'll be available for that game.

"I think Ciaran's a very talented sportsperson, and obviously is very comfortable playing gaelic and hurling, and looked very comfortable playing Australian Rules, too.

"I think it's a personal decision he has made. No matter where he set himself up, he would have become a success.

"We were just keeping updated on his progress through the social media, and he was only in pre-season training. We were all aware that it is very intense training. But he did enjoy it and he did find it a good learning experience over there with those guys and in that sport.

"We still know that it's going to be a very difficult game [against Kenmare] but we're delighted to have a first-team player back in the squad and in the team.

"The bottom line is that we're delighted with the news and we're looking up. The statement says a lot: for us, it endorses the gaelic games in the club and the role of the GAA in the country. We're over the moon and we're just coming to terms with the news. We hope that he'll slot back in to play the way he was up until he left." Tweet

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