Richie Hogan content with watching brief as Dublin come into Kilkenny's view

Four-time Kilkenny All-Star Richie Hogan has made peace with his decision to retire despite watching his former team-mates prepare for next weekend's Leinster final against Dublin.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Electric Ireland GAA minor championships, Hogan, who stepped away at the end of last season, said that he would love nothing more than to be running out onto the Croke Park sod in the black and amber, but that reality was keeping him in check.

"I would love to be playing, Jesus, I would love to be playing but when I think about playing, I'm actually looking backwards, not thinking at what's going on now.

"I had a couple of years where I was doing absolutely everything I could to play, everything I possibly could, and I ran out of juice a couple of years ago. [I] still tried to get as much as I possibly could out of it. If I had packed it in at 32 when the body was breaking down I would have missed it a hell of a lot more.

"But I'm fairly content that I couldn’t play inter-county hurling, even at club level. I train, it’s enough for club level. That’s what I look at, we would all love to out playing on the pitch but I'm mature enough to know what it takes and I don't have what it takes, that for sure."

"Doing all the things normal people do has been brilliant, [but] I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t give it all up in the morning just for a chance to play again," he added.

"It's nice to have the body in good shape waking up in the morning, to be able to get up in a normal fashion and actually be able to tie your laces. I will get bored of this fairly quickly and will try and do something else soon.

"The only games I have been at have been ones where I am working doing commentary and I like it.

"It doesn’t really