Bergin quits Tribesmen

Long-serving Galway midfielder Joe Bergin has decided to quit inter-county football after 13 years playing for the Tribesmen.

The 31-year-old former Young Footballer of the Year said a combination of factors including a busy work schedule, injury and a desire to have a few seasons with his club Mountbellew/Moylough before he retires, were the primary reasons for his decision, A series of narrow defeats in the Connacht championship and in the All-Ireland qualifiers have also taken their toll, admits Bergin.

“The loss to Antrim was a huge disappointment and I feel now is the time to go. I have been fortunate to have a long inter-county career and while the last few seasons have been disappointing, I was lucky enough to win a lot in the early years.

Bergin spent two seasons with the Galway U16s, three with the county minors and four with the U21s, captaining the Tribesmen to victory in the All-Ireland U21 final in 2002 against Dublin. By then Bergin had an All-Ireland senior medal and played in three senior finals, including the drawn and replayed final against Kerry in 2000.

His displays that year saw him crowned Young Footballer of the Year but better was to follow in 2001 when he was second top scorer all season as Galway went on to win the All-Ireland senior title against Meath. “They were glorious years and I was fortunate to experience so much so early in my career. Others had battled for years in their careers before they won anything.”