Paul Shiels: Dunloy success has justified my Antrim exit

JUSTIFIED: Paul Shiels of Dunloy Cuchullains, Antrim, pictured ahead of the AIB All-Ireland GAA hurling senior club championship semi-final, which takes place this Sunday, December 18 at Croke Park at 1.30pm. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Dunloy veteran Paul Shiels feels his decision to quit inter-county hurling at the age of 29 has been justified by the success he has enjoyed with the club since.

Shiels, who has been troubled by a back injury since the Antrim SHC final over Cushendall, has no regrets about stepping back as he looks to help Cuchullains, winners of the last four Antrim championships, beat St Thomas in Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final.

“I spoke to my family and a few close friends just about my county career and I was having a few injury problems,” Shiel recalls of his hip issues. “The county season is so intense. Once the season starts it just goes from National League straight into Championship.

“I felt I had given Antrim everything I could offer and I wanted to give a wee bit back to my club when I still felt I could. Looking back on it, it was a difficult decision but one that I am pretty content with. Inter-county now is very much a young man’s game. At the age of 29, I felt it was a wee bit early but I was content with the decision at the time and I am still happy with it.

“When I retired playing from Antrim, we hadn’t won a club county title in eight years. And the year that I retired, we won the club championship. It helped the decision. It made that decision a wee bit easier and then we sort of went on a wee bit of a run within Antrim. It eased the burden, so it did.” A survivor from Dunloy’s previous All-Ireland semi-finals in 2008 and ‘10, Shiels is happy to say the torch is being passed on by him, Keelan Molloy and Seán Elliott to the next generation. "It’s a young panel but they've been getting a lot of experience with Antrim over the last few years.

“It is a testament to the panel, the players that we have, that whenever the big players are getting special attention. Keelan is always going to attract the man-markers, Sean too. It’s nice that the other boys can recognise that and chip in.” St Thomas’ experience at this stage of the competition is an advantage, Shiels knows, but he can’t wait to face them in Croke Park. “We’ve obviously watched them. They won a club All-Ireland in 2013 and they played Loughgiel in the semi-final that year. We were at that game. They are a great side. They have a lot of quality players.

“Obviously, (they have) a few boys with inter-county All-Ireland medals in their back pocket so we are well aware of the task at hand. Look, we are glad to be there. It’s a nice problem to have.”