Anthony Nash hails retiring Stephen McDonnell 'who gave the team everything he had'

'Stephen was a great captain of Cork as well, a great leader and he made a huge amount of sacrifices for the team'

Anthony Nash on Stephen McDonnell: 'As a teammate and captain he was great to check in to see how lads were getting on, and fellas fed off his self-confidence'. Picture: Brendan Moran 

Anthony Nash has paid a warm tribute to former teammate Stephen McDonnell, describing him as “an unbelievable defender who gave the team everything he had”.

Glen Rovers clubman McDonnell announced his retirement from intercounty action today and Nash, who stepped down himself as Cork goalkeeper last month, said: “He always gave everything for the sake of the team - he was often given a major defensive job, picking up the danger man on the opposing team the way Brian Murphy was given those jobs in the past, and he always carried out those jobs to perfection.