Michael Fennelly pays tribute to retiring Tipperary rivals

Michael Fennelly has paid tribute to his recently retired Tipperary peers, after a succession of announcements saw three ‘great men’ the Kilkenny midfielder had often marked quit the inter-county scene in the space of five days.

Shane McGrath, James Woodlock and Conor O’Mahony all played a centre-field role in Tipperary’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway and would be well acquainted with their Kilkenny counterpart from their long-running and career-defining rivalry.

Fennelly and Kilkenny stood between Tipperary and All-Ireland senior glory on numerous occasions, as well as at U21 level, where Fennelly came between that trio and the Cross of Cashel in 2004 (for McGrath and O’Mahony) and 2006 (for Woodlock).