Inter-county demands forcing drop in retirement age, says Farrell

Gaelic Players’ Association chief executive Dessie Farrell has estimated that the demands on inter-county footballers and hurlers are such that the average retirement age has dropped significantly since his own playing days.

Recent off-seasons have been pockmarked with a slew of players announcing their decisions to walk away from inter-county careers and, though Farrell has his doubts about any increase in the rate, he does notice an alarming trend.

“There is more exposure of those retirements through social media than there would have been previously,” said the former Dublin captain.