MONAGHAN HAVE TODAY lost the services of another long-serving star, after Vinny Corey’s inter-county retirement was confirmed by his club this evening.
Two-time Ulster champion Corey, who first lined out for the Farney county in 2003, now joins his Clontibret team-mate Dessie Mone in stepping away from the inter-county scene.
“Clontibret O’Neills wish a happy and fruitful retirement from inter county football to two of our all time stalwarts Vinnie Corey 2003-2019 and Dessie Mone 2004-2019,” the club wrote on their social media accounts.
“Both were the backbone of the Monaghan defence and indeed attack on so many of our great days and will be long remembered in the annals of Monaghan football.
Legends Vinnie and Dessie you’ll both be missed and remembered with pride.
Corey steps away with 17 seasons of incredible service to the county under his belt, most of those outings coming at full- or centre-half back.
A no-nonsense, man-marking defender, the 36-year-old’s gametime was limited this year — but he started in their last game of a disappointing 2019, as Armagh dumped the Farney out of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers.
Prior to that, Monaghan were shocked by their neighbours, Cavan, in the Ulster quarter-final as the Breffni came out on top for the first time in 18 years of championship action.
In 2018, the county reached their first All-Ireland semi-final since 1988 — Corey impressed that day — but they were beaten by Tyrone at Croke Park.
He now bows out with Ulster championship titles from 2013 and 2015, and Division 2 and 3 league crowns from 2014 and 2013.
— Clontibret O'Neills (@clontibretclg) November 27, 2019
Like Mone, Corey — who soldiered for the county alongside his brother Marty — recently picked up his seventh Monaghan senior championship medal as Clontibret ended Scotstown’s five-in-a-row bid.
Donegal’s Naomh Conaill, in turn, ended their Ulster run at the semi-final stage, while had edged out Crossmaglen before that.
With Seamus ‘Banty’ McEnaney now back at the Monaghan helm, he’ll be without two of his former stars.
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