Eoghan O’Flaherty says pacy Kildare are 10-15% better than last year

The light went out. Simple as that. After 10 years, Eoghan O’Flaherty just felt he could give Kildare no more. He still doesn’t now, seven months after he told Cian O’Neill he was done.

A 28-year-old quitting the game sounds premature but O’Flaherty was spent. “The lads were going back training last October but I wasn’t in a position to give the commitment that was required. Cian said I could go away and come back to him in a couple of months for a chat and we did have a chat. But I still didn’t feel as if I could do what the guys inside were doing and it was best to stay away from it. He said he would see how I got on with the club and that’s how we left it.

“I’d be lying if I said it was anything other than a lack of appetite. You’re going into pre-season training and it just wasn’t there for me. I thought I might come back after a few weeks or months and I was given the space but I never felt the urge and, look it, both parties are happy that it was a right choice for me.