JBM lauds player dedication

The host of retirements from inter-county fare has taken the hurling community by surprise.

Former hurlers of the year, Cork’s Jerry O’Connor and Tipp’s Lar Corbett, joined the 2007 winner Dan Shanahan in a premature departure and two eight-time All-Ireland winners, Eddie Brennan and Michael Kavanagh, and several other top players also joined the exodus.

But one man not surprised is Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy.