Niall McNamee retires from inter-county football

Niall McNamee has retired from inter-county football after 15 years as a regular in the Offaly team, writes Stephen Barry.

Although McNamee’s career has coincided with a downturn in the Faithful County’s fortunes, he has always been a reliable performer for his county since his debut, as a 17-year-old, in 2003.

He was nominated for an All-Star in 2006, having scored 2-16 in Offaly’s four-game run to the Leinster final, where they were defeated by Dublin.

He won Division 2 of the League in 2004, and Division 4 in 2008 and 2015, while he was part of the Ireland squad during the 2010 International Rules Series.

At club level, he has collected eight Offaly football titles with Rhode and one Dublin championship with UCD.

The 31-year-old has also been a strong advocate for those seeking to recover from gambling addiction. Having lost an estimated €200,000 during his own struggle, he celebrated five years without placing a bet last November.

5 years today since I last had a bet. My best ever decision and greatest gift to have ever been given

— Niall McNamee (@niallmc14) November 13, 2016

It is now five years since Niall McNamee bet and his life has transformed. Proud to consider him a friend: https://t.co/oHOeU9xQ23 pic.twitter.com/ZYFpNbUFsD

— Real Talks (@RealTalksIRL) May 5, 2017

“(It) only seems like yesterday that I made my debut. It's been a huge honour to represent and captain my county. The time has now come to step away,” he wrote on Instagram.

“I want to say a huge thank you to all of my team mates that I've been lucky to take the field with down through the years. Thank you to all the managers who showed faith in me.

“I've been extremely lucky to fulfil a lot of my childhood dreams and it is truly with a heavy heart that I call it a day. A massive thank you to all the faithful supporters for your support throughout the years both on and off the field.

“Finally a big thank you to my parents, brothers and sister and my girlfriend for always being there in the good days and the not so good days. I couldn't have done it without you all.

“@gaelicplayers thank you also for the huge part you guys have played in supporting my off field career. I'm really looking forward to supporting the boys next year and beyond and I pray that the glory days return to Offaly in the not too distant future.”