Walking away

THEY knew when it was time to walk away. For Tipperary hurler Declan Fanning there were domestic duties to attend to, with a one year-old son Owen at home and his wife Lucy about to have their second child.

For Derek Kavanagh the relentless injections and searing pain from a hip problem had become too much for him to continue as a Cork footballer. For Waterford’s Dan Shanahan there was the belief that he needed to devote a few years to his club Lismore when his fitness and hurling sharpness remained at a high level.

The closing months of 2010 saw their inter-county careers grind to a halt. And as the 2011 championship cranks into action, it has been a novel experience adjusting to life on the outside.