LAST UPDATE | 1 Sep 2023
LEGENDARY KILKENNY HURLER, Richie Hogan, has announced his retirement at the age of 35.
His last appearance was the All Ireland final defeat to Limerick when he was sent on with just five minutes left for Tom Phelan, with the game long settled at that stage.
Danesfort man Hogan won seven All Ireland titles, 12 Leinster championships, and four All Stars as an integral part of Brian Cody’s side as they dominated hurling for over a decade. He was the 2014 Hurler of the Year. More than that, he was one of the most skilled of that team, with incredible balance and an ability to compete despite a lack of stature.
However, recent years have been a frustration for him with three bulging discs in his back requiring attention, a legacy of his youth spent playing handball as he said himself.
Other issues came as a follow-on from the back problems, with hamstring issues and knee trouble that prevented him from getting lengthy runs of training and matchday action.
In the first flush of youth, he won it all, with his seven Liam MacCarthy triumphs coming in his first nine seasons on the team.
Growing up in KK you thought you were a good player until you met Richie. He set the bar so high everyone else was left in his wake. All that skill and magic was backed up by a toughness and work ethic that explains why he'll always be remembered as one of the greatest ever 👑🐐 pic.twitter.com/heCwTSkaNq
— Paul Murphy (@PaulMurphykk) September 1, 2023
He also won U21 All Ireland titles in 2006 and 2008, the 2006 win coming when he was still a minor.
As the years wore on, he was desperately unlucky and was dismissed in the 2019 final against Tipperary just before half-time for a challenge on Cathal Barrett.
The following year, he came back and produced a wonder goal against Galway in the Leinster final as part of a game-turning intervention.
Just when the game looked to be getting away from them, Richie Hogan drags Kilkenny back into with a wonderfully taken goal. Kilkenny 1-15 Galway 0-20. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game at 9.30pm on @rte2 #rtegaa #thesundaygame pic.twitter.com/c6yPTyoICx
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) November 14, 2020
In his retirement statement, he said, ‘For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a Kilkenny hurler. I cannot recall a day in my life where I haven’t thought about what I need to do to get to the highest level of the sport or what I need to do to stay up there.
‘Listening to stories from my grandfather about Kilkenny heroes of the past and watching endless hours of games on repeat from Kilkenny teams in the 90s allowed me to dream.
‘Going to games with my brother Paddy to see my father and my uncle Richie playing for their clubs filled me with the inspiration I needed to practise everyday and make that dream a reality. I always believed I was born to play hurling and from the first day I represented Kilkenny as a 12 year old I felt like the black and amber colours were woven into my skin. Now that my playing days are over I look forward to wearing those famous colours as a supporter again.’
He added, ‘I can honestly say that apart from the obvious exceptions in life, nothing has given me more joy and nothing has caused me more heartache than playing hurling. Winning seven All Irelands in the first nine years of my senior hurling career was amazing and I will never forget those times or the incredible teammates that I played alongside.
Were you up for the 'Name the Goal' challenge?
— The GAA (@officialgaa) May 16, 2020
We have the answer below!
GAANOW Rewind takes a look back to when Richie Hogan scored this goal for @KilkennyCLG against @TipperaryGAA in the 2011 All-Ireland Hurling Final! pic.twitter.com/dIOVFzYene
‘The last couple of years have been hugely challenging physically and mentally but I’ve developed characteristics during that time that will benefit me for the rest of my life.
‘Thank you to the incredible teammates I have played with over the past 17 years for Kilkenny and 20 years for Danesfort. Playing with you, while sometimes winning and sometimes not, was an incredible honour which I have always appreciated.
‘To the people of Kilkenny, thank you for everything. I always think of how lucky I was to be born into a county where my obsession with hurling was equally matched by everyone in our great city.
‘I am incredibly grateful for the support you have given me through both good and challenging times on the pitch. My body has tried to call time on my career many times over the past few years, but my mind always convinced me that the call to represent you was always greater.’
