Browne retires from Inter-county football

Saturday's Tommy Murphy Cup defeat for Tipperary against Clare marked Declan Browne's last inter-county game as the two-time All-Star has decided to retire from top level football.

Browne made his senior championship debut for the Tipp footballers against Kerry in 1996 and captained his county to Tommy Murphy Cup glory in 2005.

The 29-year-old, who became Tipperary's first football All-Star in 1998, was also a dual star for a time and he won Munster minor and Under-21 medals with the county's hurlers.

Browne was named Munster Footballer of the Year in 1998 as he helped Tipperary win through to the Munster senior final. They lost that year's decider to Kerry and they were also runners-up in 2002 when Cork claimed the Munster title after a replay.

Regarded as one of the finest and most prolific forwards of the modern era, the Moyle Rovers clubman collected his second All-Star award in 2003 after scoring a handsome 2-34 in the championship.

2003 also saw Tipperary win the McGrath Cup and Browne was picked for the Ireland International Rules squad.

Tipp's top scorer throughout countless matches, Browne led the scoring again at Ardfinnan on Saturday night but his eight-point tally was not enough to deny Clare a 1-13 to 0-12 win.