ROSCOMMON FOOTBALLER CIARÁIN Murtagh says that it he “can’t see too many” GAA players producing lengthy inter-county careers that span over 15 years in the future. 

Murtagh — who confirmed his departure from the Roscommon team to The 42 following a report from the Roscommon Herald – believes that the shift is caused by a number of factors including the increased demands on players.

The St. Faithleach’s forward made his inter-county bow in a league game against Longford in 2014, and previously took a similar break from the set-up in 2019. He feels the time is right to step away and give his time to other pursuits after recently getting married.

“I had a few good chats with Davey [Burke] about a few different things,” the 2017 Connacht SFC winner begins. His brother Diarmuid will continue to line out for Burke’s side next year.

“I felt myself that I couldn’t give it 100% commitment with just a few different things in my life that I want to do. When I am involved with stuff, I want to give it 100% and I unfortunately couldn’t do that this year. Stepping away was probably the best decision for me.

“I loved it while I was there and I have so much time for Davey and his management team. That obviously made the decision a little bit harder.

“I want to go on a honeymoon with my wife and the last 10 years have been, ‘We can only go at this time when football is over.’ I didn’t want to be doing that this year. So it would mean missing two or three weeks of training, so it would be very hard to go back and give all the commitment when you know you’re missing a game or multiple sessions in the lead-up to a game. For me, it just wasn’t the right thing to do because I know how much effort all the lads put in. I like to be at every training session.

“I’m just going to explore things that I probably should have done years ago. It feels like the right time to do it.”

Murtagh’s decision to press pause on his inter-county career comes after the Waterford hurlers suffered recent similar losses in personnel ahead of the upcoming campaign. Austin Gleeson will be a major absentee for Davy Fitzgerald’s side in 2024 while experienced defenders Shane McNulty and Conor Gleeson are also unavailable.

Murtagh made his 100th appearance for Roscommon earlier this year but he suspect that that will become a rare sight in the GAA in the future.

“I can’t really see too many players playing for 15 years or 12 years happening an awful lot in the future. It’s unbelievable for players who do it for that long and hit these milestones of 100 games or 150 games.

“I think the demands of it all and with the split season, it’s a huge commitment. Obviously, it’s a privilege to play but it does take a lot of commitment makes it hard to give that longevity. Some people absolutely love it and adore it. And when I did it, I did as well. 

“There would have been a lot of players in the last 20 years who, once they started, they never really stepped away. They just played until the body couldn’t allow anymore. Or they weren’t asked back. I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore. I think players are going to make up their own mind, rather than their bodies or a management team not asking them back.

“And then for the higher profile players, there are more demands on them. That takes a toll as well. 

“There’s loads that are still doing it but I just don’t think personally that you’re going to see players playing for as long as what you’ve seen over the next 10 years.”

Murtagh also travelled to Kenya in the weeks leading up to his wedding, as part of the Warriors for Humanity group to take part in the Plant the Planet Games. 

“My wife was happy for me to go and experience that because I always wanted to do some charity work and I was privileged to be asked to go,” he explains.

“Alan Kerins is with Warriors for Humanity and he organised the whole thing in collaboration with Self-Help Africa and the GPA. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, having some sort of impact on local communities in Kenya and interacting with 50 other players from all four codes. It was a really eye-opening experience.”

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https://www.roscommonherald.ie/sport/gaa/big-blow-for-roscommon-as-ciar%C3%A1in-murtagh-opts-out-of-panel-for-2024_arid-5513.html