Retiring GAA Stars tribute thread - May cause brain/neck damage

Not sure Mikey would be good enough to make the cut. Kevin is a great bit of stuff.
Is Tadhg Foley training away with them? I thought he was called in for a look?

I dont think he’s there.

Pretty sure the Ballygunner contingent left are Ronan Power, Paddy Leavy, Peter Hogan, Dessie Hutchinson, Kevin Mahony and Patrick Fitzgerald.

Kevin Mahony is exactly what Waterford need as the fulcrum of the forward line.

Pauric got married there over the Christmas. I’d say the wife put the foot down.

they talked about it and decided it would be best for the both of them if he focussed on his career

Sure anyone with a hurling brain knows for Waterford to do well, Mount Sion have to be going well. B/gunner have never backboned a Waterford team to do anything they can go shit in their hat.

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Never a truer word said. They wouldn’t know how to backbone a county team for all the notions they have about themselves.

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When Waterford reached All Ireland Final’s in 2017 and 2020 they were backboned by Ballygunner had 4x starters in each.

Won nada

Shane Sullivan also retired at 30 or so and has enjoyed an Indian summer at club level.

I have a theory that there is a huge difference between retiring at 30 odd and say 33/34 when it comes to prolonging your club career.

If you retire at 30 from Inter county, there is a fair chance you’ll be still going at 40 for your club whereas if you keep going with the county till your 34 or so, the likelihood is, you’ll be more or less done with the club within a year.

Kieran Fitzgerald of Corofin is a classic of this genre playing the full 80 minutes of an AI Club final at 39 years of age.

Gooch on the other hand was more or less done with Dr. Crokes within a year or two of finishing up with Kerry.

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Yes when Waterford actually last won the All Ireland we had six (6) Monastery men on the team.

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Shane Sullivan retired from the county team? How many championship games did he start for the county?

He must have played 25-30 times?

Shane Sullivan

How many championship games did he start?

cc @Malarkey

TBF SOK was the only one that most Waterford fans would have felt was a loss and even at that most of them had spent 3 years before that believing Billy fucking Nolan was going to be better

Always get a sense that Ballygunner are never too bothered about Waterford county teams. Happy to be flat track bullies at club level. Contrast with Ballyhale. They may have had two eras of 15 year dominance in Kilkenny, but throughout both of those eras they backboned 14 Kilkenny All Ireland winning teams. Ballyhale as a club team are an example of a rising tide lifting all boats. Ballygunner are the opposite.

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Probably the majority between 2009 and 2014 inclusive. So not far off 20 I’d say.