LAST UPDATE | 23 Jan 2023
LONG-SERVING KERRY midfielder David Moran has retired from inter-county football. He won three senior All-Ireland titles across a glittering, 14-year career.
“After a lot of thought, I have decided to retire from inter-county football”, said Moran. “It’s not a decision I have taken lightly. Playing with Kerry fulfilled all my boyhood dreams, however, with an aging body, a young family and a demanding work life I feel I can no longer give the commitment required to perform and compete at the top level.”
Moran steps away having won the third of his Celtic Crosses last year, starting the final victory against Galway. His previous triumphs came in 2009 (vs Cork) and 2014 (vs Donegal.) He also won 10 Munster senior football titles and four Allianz league crowns. He was twice an All-Star, in 2014 and 2019. In representing Kerry, Moran extended his family’s glittering lineage: his father Ogie won eight All-Ireland titles with Kerry between 1975 and 1987.
“It feels like the end of an era today with the announcement of David Moran’s retirement”, said Kerry manager Jack O’Connor. “He followed in a long line of traditional Kerry midfielders with his high fielding and long accurate kicking. He was particularly good at that long diagonal kick to the inside forwards and it was one of his specialities that led to Seanie O’Shea’s goal against Dublin last year. He also executed a beauty in Kieran Donaghy in the 2014 semi-final which led to James O’Donoghue’s late goal in that game.
“I first came across David when I coached Kerins O’Rahillys in 2008. As a twenty year old he formed a powerful midfield partnership with current Kerry selector Mike Quirke as we had a memorable campaign before being beaten by an injury time penalty in a county final.
“He featured for me in the All Ireland win with Kerry the following year as well as in the win this year. I always felt that his cruciate injury in a league game in Iniskeen in 2011 possibly cost us that championship because at that stage he was becoming a leader. David will be missed by all of us associated with Kerry football but even more so by the current players. He was like a father figure to them and they looked to him for leadership and inspiration.
“Thanks David for the great memories.”
Moran won his first Munster club title with Kerins O’ Rahillys at the end of 2022, and was part of the team narrowly beaten in this year’s All-Ireland semi-final by eventual winners Kilmacud Crokes.
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