Irish Daily Star - Inside Sport
GALVIN WILL CLARE-LY BE MISSED
CLARE will go head to head with Cork at Pairc Ui Chaoimh this evening in their Division One opener.
If Colm Galvin is there, he will be looking on from the stands as a supporter.
The Clonlara man yesterday confirmed his retirement from intercounty hurling due to a persistent groin injury. He just turned 29 earlier this week.
In a statement, the 2013 All-Ireland winner and three-time Under-21 All-Ireland medallist said he had found the injury “extremely frustrating” and “mentally draining.”
Galvin will be a huge loss to Brian Lohan’s Clare. Fully fit and in form, he would be an automatic starter on any side in the country — even Limerick.
In terms of natural ability and big game temperament, he was probably only second to Tony Kelly from Clare’s golden generation which dominated Under-21 hurling in the early part of the last decade.
Galvin made his Championship debut against Dublin in 2012.
When he played sweeper, few in the country could do it better, with his vision, intelligence and ability to spray the ball around standing out a mile.
“It’s a scenario that I never thought would ever happen but unfortunately following a succession of injuries and repeated setbacks, I’ve had to make the difficult decision to retire from intercounty hurling,” said Galvin.
Level
“I’d love to have continued playing for Clare but after ongoing conversations with Brian (Lohan), realistically my body just isn’t able for the workload required at the highest level any longer.
“Central to this is a persistent groin injury that has never healed properly, which has proven extremely frustrating as well as mentally draining.
“It’s not easy to step away from the panel, many of which I have hurled alongside since our formative years in a Clare jersey but I sincerely wish the lads and management all the very best for 2022 and beyond.”
Galvin said his focus now was on rehab to play for Clonlara, and he thanked his family, fiancé and friends for being “so supportive” throughout his intercounty career.
“I’ve been blessed to have played with so many great players and equally fortunate to have been coached and managed by people who have given of their all for the county,” he continued.
“As a result, I’ve been able to fulfil my lifelong dreams of playing at all levels for Clare and made some truly unforgettable memories along the way.
“To have shared provincial and national success with such passionate and loyal supporters is something I’ll always cherish and even when things didn’t always go our way, we always felt we had the full backing of the Clare support.”