Injury fears prompt Farrell to call it a day
Farrell told Dublin manager Paul Caffrey on Sunday evening and publicly announced his decision at the launch of his autobiography Dessie: Tangled Up In Blue, at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin’s St James’ Gate.
“The fat lady had been clearing here throat for a long time. In fact, she’d been belting out the encore a long time ago. There was too much risk involved in going on. You get yourself right and then at a crucial period you get injured again. I’d had too many injuries but I enjoyed my innings,” he said.
Farrell started his first championship game for Dublin against Offaly in 1992 and collected the first of his six Leinster championship medals that summer.
It was the start of his most successful period in the sky blue. Dublin retained their provincial crown for three years and in 1995 ended a 12-year wait to claim a 22nd All-Ireland title.
Farrell was a vital cog in the team that year, winning an Allstar for his performances but it was another seven years before the team won another Leinster title.
Meanwhile, the Tipperary County GAA Board are this week continuing the process of finding a successor to senior hurling manager Ken Hogan and his co-selectors Colm Bonnar and Jack Bergin.
The eight-man committee established to appoint a new management team had received county board approval not to re-appoint Ken Hogan, despite the fact the Lorrha man wanted the position for another year. It was decided to go for a clean break with a number of high-profile names coming into the picture.
Michael Babs Keating is the front runner and was due to meet the board executive for discussions last night. Keating has also indicated that Nicky English would be involved in some form of coaching-cum-advisor role, but there may be a stumbling block.
Sources close to the board have suggested that Keating wants to pick his own two selectors, while board officials are anxious to handpick two of their own. The committee’s decision is due to go before the board in mid-October.
