Departing O’Carroll casts doubt over his inter-county future

Dublin’s All-Star full back and three-time All-Ireland winner Rory O’Carroll has cast doubt over his inter-county future.

O'Carroll, who is moving to New Zealand in a couple of weeks, is open-minded about how long he will spend abroad.

Asked was the assumption that he would be back for the 2017 championship “not necessarily the case”, he said he did not known how long he would be away.

He said age was a factor, and although only 26 he believed the time to be right.

“Naturally, if you’re ever going to emigrate it’s obviously much harder to do the older you get.

“I thought if I waited a year or two it might get harder and harder and I mightn’t ever do it. So at my age it definitely was a factor.

“Who knows? It could be six months or six years. I’ll just have to go and see how I enjoy it, and take it from there.

“I’m not going to put an end-date on it when I don’t know what it’s going to be like.

“I have a visa which lasts a year. Whether I stay the full year or try to renew it, I won’t know until I see what it’s like.

“I have what’s called a working holiday visa where you travel for a bit and then try and secure some sort of employment.

“I’m a social worker. So it will probably be in that field, but I’m willing to be flexible.”

The announcement caused shock amongst Dublin supporters when it emerged just after the beginning of the year but the decision had been made before Christmas.

“In December. Well, finalised it on St Stephen’s Day to be more specific.

“I’m going with my girlfriend and she always wanted to go. There’s always been a part of me that wanted to go, and no matter what you do, you’re always going to have some regrets regardless, no matter which decision you make.

“You just try to pick the one where you have fewest regrets, and that was the one I was left with.”

His departure takes away a key component of the All-Ireland champions’ defence – the footballer who has been indisputably Dublin’s number one full back for the past six seasons and arguably the best full back in the modern game.

O'Carroll said county manager Jim Gavin did not react badly or try to talk him out of his plans.

Welcome

“No, he was really nice. He said as long as he was manager that I was always welcome back for a trial or whatever in the future.

“I told him I had made up my mind so I think he knew. So he was very supportive, and just asked if there was anything he could do.”

He acknowledged that having four All-Ireland medals (three with the county and one with his club Kilmacud Crokes) made the decision that bit less agonising.

“It did make it easier. I probably would have gone anyway, to be honest, given my age. But it did make the decision easier.”

He has always been a restless spirit. Called up to the Dublin team before he had even played county championship – but having as a 19-year-old come into the Kilmacud side that won that year's All-Ireland – he promptly informed manager Pat Gilroy that he was going to fulfil a promise to go travelling with his friends for the rest of the summer.

A year later he spent a number of months in France as part of his college course in UCD, but made it back for what would be his first All-Ireland-winning season in 2011.

Concussion

There are questions as to whether he was influenced by the concussion he suffered in the 2013 All-Ireland final. Last year he said that another concussive episode and he would consider his future in the game.

“I said one more bang and I’d consider [it]. I never said ‘would’. No, it wasn’t really a factor in terms of my decision, no. Out of all the factors I’d consider, leaving, I wouldn’t say it was.”

He is comfortable with the decision to leave for the moment the world of elite football.

“Yeah. Obviously I didn’t make the decision overnight; it was something I thought about and discussed with family and friends, so yeah, I’m comfortable with the decision.

“I’m open to the idea I could play again, I’m open to the idea I may never play again.

"I'll just see how it goes. I'm not too worried about what is down the line." Rory O'Carroll was speaking at the launch of the Adidas and Life Style Sports Boost Run, which will take place on Friday, March 4th, in Dún Laoghaire.