'Honour of my life' - Neil McManus retires from Antrim duty

Neil McManus described representing Antrim as the honour of his life as he brought the curtain down on a long inter-county hurling career.

Having made his senior debut in 2007 after successes at minor level, the 35-year-old won two Joe McDonagh Cups with the Saffron County in 2020 and 2022 as well as a host of provincial titles.

His final appearance for Antrim proved to be in the win over Westmeath on 28 May and in an interview with The Irish News, McManus confirmed that while he would continue to play for his club Cushendall Ruairí Óg, it was time to step away from the inter-county scene.

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"Things have changed in my life, obviously," McManus said of ending an experience that he values as the "joy and the honour of my life".

"I've a young daughter. I want to spend more time with her and my wife. I’d spend my day working in Belfast in a fairly demanding job and you train so much nowadays, and then you’re home after bedtime.

"It’s a huge commitment and I never wanted to do it less than 100%. I’m very happy with the way I’m leaving it. I can live with it knowing that I gave it all that I could. I’m really looking forward to giving more to my club."

Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-finals, Dublin v Clare and Galway v Tipperary, on Saturday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to live updates on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1