Michael Shields is one of the wily veterans in the St Finbarr’s line-up but he believes the new breed of footballer in Togher deserve huge credit for their county success.

Cork’s 2010 All-Ireland winning defender Michael Shields has informed Ronan McCarthy of his inter-county retirement.

Cork football selector Eoin O’Neill has denied Ken O’Halloran and Michael Shields were dropped from the senior panel for a breach of discipline during a recent training camp in Portugal.

Cork football manager Brian Cuthbert expects his captain Michael Shields to be fit for the NFL final against Dublin on Sunday week.

The Cork County Board last night sprang to the defence of its players who were subjected to heavy criticism on online forums.