Johnston has the potential to rock the Kildare boat

The furore over Sean Johnston's potential switch to Kildare is very interesting at the moment, not least because the team in question appear to have a lot of their ducks in a row at the moment and the decision to recruit a very high profile outsider may not sit well with those footballers already working hard within the county. 

Of course the O'Byrne Cup is hardly the best way of judging any team, however nobody could argue that right now Kildare are fit, working to a system and playing some very effective football. They cut through Dublin for a shortcut at the weekend and while the Dubs are clearly still working the toxins out of their system after an understandably heavy winter, it was still enlightening to see the way that Kildare overpowered their Leinster rivals in Newbridge. 

With his team firing on all cylinders like that, the recruitment of Johnston, if it occurs, could upset the very delicate ecosystem in the county. On the face of it, Kildare and Johnston are a match made in heaven. The county team are just a point or two off All Ireland winning standard with a lot of physically strong, hard working footballers, while he's a two-footed scorer capable of taking frees and scoring from play in an equally accomplished manner, exactly the type of footballer the county simply doesn't have. However if you're a Kildare supporter, it must be hard not to feel the same unease you get when talking to a very attractive woman in her early thirties in a nightclub, who smiles in response to the suggestion that you share a cab home. It all seems to be going swimmingly, but a great catch like this has to be single for a reason. 

Lest we forget, we have to go back to 2005 to find the last time Cavan won two championship football matches in the one year. The county is loitering in division three for the past couple of seasons with no real likelihood of promotion and yet again this year they are at the bottom of the betting for that particular league. So how likely is it that a forward good enough to be the difference maker for a team of All Ireland contenders is not good enough to make their panel? Only Cavan manager Val Andrews can answer that question truly honestly since he picks the team, but without doubt there are warning lights flashing all over this deal from a Kildare perspective. 

His decision to align himself with the St Kevins club is an intriguing one since St Kevins aren't exactly the natural choice of a glory hunter, and above all, this could be a lot of fuss over nothing since this transfer is very likely to be blocked, regardless of what happens. Nonetheless it's enough to prevent us from piling into Kildare for the All Ireland, which was fast turning into the standout antepost bet available on the market. For as long as Kildare continue to advance in their development, they are getting closer and closer to the standard required to take the Same Maguire and as we saw for the past couple of seasons, they aren't that far off to begin with. When Armagh broke the door down for Ulster in 2002 it was Tyrone who went on to go through the empty doorway more often than not in the following years. Who's to say that Dublin didn't pave the way for Kildare in the same fashion? 

This is a Kildare team moving well and executing a style that requires complete commitment, physical preparation and mental strength, but it doesn't require a mercurial corner forward looking to pick up a medal, certainly not if he brings with him any personal issues. Let's hope that Kildare realise this and if they do, the 12/1 generally available represents an excellent betting play.