Disillusioned Clarke ends Down career

DOWN’S hopes of making progress in this year’s All-Ireland qualifiers have been hit by the decision of attacker John Clarke to retire from senior inter-county football.

The 28-year-old An Ríocht player, older brother of star forward Marty, informed manager James McCartan of his decision earlier this week and revealed he grew disillusioned with the barrage of criticism from some supporters after Down’s recent Ulster championship loss to Armagh.

“The Armagh defeat made me think a lot. You get a lot of criticism. You don’t mind people criticising you to your face, but you do have your critics who sit behind computer screens and are on discussion boards, which is cowardly. Players and managers alike take a lot of abuse on those things. That’s not the reason I’m retiring, but there’s criticism and there’s criticism.

“After the Armagh game it just got to a point where I just thought it wouldn’t be fair. I wouldn’t be one for doing things half-hearted and — if I wasn’t going back fully committed with my heart in it — there was probably no point. So I just thought I’d be doing myself an injustice and I’d be doing the team an injustice. I just thought the time was right, for the time being anyway — never say never in football — but as of now I’ve played my last game for Down.”

McCartan has added to his attacking options by drafting in minor prodigy Caolan Mooney. Mooney, who helped St Colman’s Newry to a second successive Hogan Cup title in April, links up with the senior squad for the rest of the season despite the fact he starts an AFL career with Collingwood in the autumn. The Rostrevor youngster is free of county minor commitments following Down’s exit in the Ulster MFC against Armagh last month.