No regrets from John Heslin as he departs inter-county whirl

In the end, the decision was simple for John Heslin. Something had to give, and so the curtain came down on a 14-year career as a Westmeath senior footballer.

Since making his debut for the Lake men in 2011, Heslin's prowess in front of the posts has seen him usurp Dessie Dolan as the county's top scorer in championship history. His total over that period reached 5-162, edging him just ahead of Dolan's 4-163.

Heslin, 32, announced his inter-county retirement over the weekend, with a statement from Westmeath GAA saying that "he has been an exemplary ambassador for Gaelic football, engaging with supporters and promoting the game across the county. His professionalism and sportsmanship have earned him the respect of team-mates, opponents, and fans alike."

Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Sunday Sport, Heslin said the motivation for ending his inter-county career was down to the demands in his work life and that such a schedule made it no longer feasible for him to give the "professionalism" that is required at county level.

He outlined: "I've been playing quite a while now and life moves on. With my job I have a global role; I do a lot of travelling. For the last two years I've had to combine the job, the travelling and playing inter-county football.

"For the next six months, I'm going to be in Brazil, New Zealand and the US. I also went back to college, back to UCD, undertaking a part-time Master's with Smurfit. I'm also fitting a bit of farming in and I'm getting married this year," said Hesline, who works as global strategic marketing manager for an agricultural technology company.

Heslin was a great exponent of foot-passing and his accuracy in front of the posts certainly caught the eye, none more so than in the 2015 Leinster