Cummins calls time on inter-county career

Tipperary's Brendan Cummins has retired after an 18-year stint as the senior hurling goalkeeper with the Premier County, having made his debut in 1995.

Cummins won two All-Ireland Senior Championship medals during a glittering career, which also saw him part of five Munster Senior winning campaigns, while five All-Stars were annexed.

The 38-year-old cited family commitments when revealing news of his retirement to RTÉ's Marty Morrissey on this evening's Six-One News.

"The time is right now really for me to retire from inter-county hurling. Family has been the big reason," he said.

“I have Paul and Sarah, now our new arrival, she’s a year old at the end of the month. So I want to spend more time with them.

“And obviously from a Tipperary hurling point of view, I’m around a long time and I think it’s time somebody else got a shot at it.”

Along with Senior All-Ireland Hurling medals in 2001 and 2010, Cummins also picked up three National Hurling League titles and an All-Ireland under-21 medal in 1995. He also played senior football for Tipperary.

Cummins, who is also a seven-time All-Ireland Poc Fada champion says that thoughts of stepping into a management role in the future do interest him.

“I think I would have an awful lot to offer. I would have to get certain skills back up from a coaching point of view," he said.

“So I’m definitely not the complete package, even though I think I’ve seen 9 or 10 different managers and what their styles have been. I do have an awful lot of work to do from that side.”