Seamus Callanan regrets not winning another 'two or three All-Irelands'

The retired Tipp star has never forgotten the ones that got away

Tipperary's Seamus Callanan celebrates scoring a goal in 2019 

Tipperary legend Seamus Callanan reckons he should have finished his career with 'another two or three All-Irelands'.

The freshly retired attacker won three All-Ireland medals and four All-Stars in a storied 16-year career that climaxed in 2019 when he was named Hurler of the Year.

But he's never forgotten the ones that got away and claimed that Tipp should have taken home the MacCarthy Cup in 2015 too when they had, by his estimation, 'an unbelievable team'.

Tipp lost three All-Ireland finals during Callanan's time on the panel - in 2009, 2011 and 2014 - as well as four semi-finals.

Speaking on The Game on Sunday podcast, Callanan, 35, said he could have been even more successful than he was.

"I think we were unlucky not to have another two or three All-Irelands on the belt," said Callanan. "The one that stands out to me most is probably the Galway match in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2015 where we lost by a point.

"I just felt that year we had an unbelievable team. I just felt like we were the best team in the country at the time. I just felt that at the time. Obviously we didn't go on and win it but that's one I look back and say, you know, we probably might have left it behind us.

"Liam (Sheedy) as well, when we won the 2010 All-Ireland, you would have liked to know what would have happened had he stayed on for two or three more years at that stage."

Callanan came on in the 2010 All-Ireland final and scored two points to help Tipp end Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bid.

But by 2014 he admitted he was at a 'crossroads' in his career and considered if the inter-county game was going to work out for him.

He credited former coach and manager Eamon O'Shea with revitalising him and kick-starting the most successful period of his career.

"I wasn't really making it anymore and the spark of me coming onto the scene in '08 and '09 was well and truly gone at that stage," said Callanan of the period in early 2014. "Eamon said to me at the start of the year, 'I want to make you my main man, I want to put you in here, I believe in you so show me what you can do' and we just went at it.

"I knew I had the belief then of the manager at that stage and that he was going to back me. It didn't work out straight away. First match, we lost to Limerick in the first round of the Championship and I was very lucky to hold my place after that.

"We played Galway in the qualifiers in Thurles and I went on and I ended up getting 3-7 or something in that match and that really just kicked me off then. The confidence was up.

"I believed that I was meant to be there and just kind of never looked back since. Not every year was as good but '14, '15 and '16 I had great years and that kind of cemented my place and we went on in '16, won the All-Ireland and got it again in '19 but there were ups and downs.

"Jesus, there were times there it did enter my head, 'Look, this isn't for me and I'm not going to make this here'. Thank God there was a bit of perseverance and I stayed going."

Callanan confirmed his county retirement in September and outlined his fears around the commitment required in the modern game.

"I think it's gone too much," he said of the demands. "For me, it's the fact that you have to be in a certain place at a certain time, all of the time. And you either buy into that or not and if you're not, you're not in."