Armagh pair exit county scene

News:News that Armagh pair John Toal and Aidan O'Rourke are to retire from intercounty football underlines the number of high-profile players who have stepped down from the big stage since the end of the championships.

To date, eight All-Ireland winners have hung up their boots as well as a similar number of provincial medallists.

In many cases it has been after a long and fulfilling career, such as Clare hurlers Brian Lohan and Seán McMahon or Kerry footballer Séamus Moynihan, but Toal's stepping down is particularly sad because it is enforced after a horrific injury picked up in last year's Ulster final against Tyrone.

The Armagh centrefielder, 27 this year, broke his leg so badly that, according to his surgeon, it was nearly necessary to amputate. Toal battled courageously to reconstruct an intercounty career but he was unable to get back into the panel this year and, although he assisted in a backroom capacity - most notoriously when getting into a spat with Kerry's Paul Galvin in August's All-Ireland quarter-final, he has decided to call a halt.

O'Rourke, 30 this year, was a key figure in Armagh's All-Ireland season four years ago and was many people's man of the match in the final. Injury has restricted his career in recent years but he is still young to call it a day.

The list of the retired includes Kerry's Michael McCarthy, who, at 28, new county manager Pat O'Shea hopes to persuade back into training in the new year but the Kilcummin full back was definite about his intentions when announced after the All-Ireland.

Meanwhile, Tyrone secretary Dominic McCaughey has added his voice to the debate on the Guinness sponsorship of the hurling championship. Speaking in his annual report to this year's convention, he argues it is very difficult for clubs to make a stand on the issue when the message from Croke Park is ambivalent.

"It is disappointing that the association, in general, has moved in a rather pedestrian fashion on one of the major recommendations of the Connolly Report - that of immediate implementation of limiting sponsorships by companies associated with alcohol to two years, and ultimately phasing out this form of sponsorship.

"It is almost impossible for clubs and counties to take action on this front, when there would appear to be a reluctance at national level to take any remedial action as recommended."

• The man former Westmeath manager Páidí Ó Sé called "a key cog in the machine" when the county won their first Leinster title in 2004 has retired from his post.

Team co-ordinator Mick Duffy was one of Ó Sé's first appointments when he took over the Lake County for the 2004 campaign, and Duffy's attention to detail soon became the stuff of legend within the squad.

"I have done the job for three years, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but it is time to move on. It's a demanding job with planning for matches, training, hospital appointments, fitness analysis, attendance sheets and the like - it's almost like a full-time job," said Duffy.

Former Mayo senior footballer, and Knockmore clubman, Raymond Dempsey will take charge of the county's minor football side for next season and his former county team-mate Maurice Sheridan will assist.