After a distinguished intercounty senior football career, spanning 15 seasons in the Dublin jersey, Charlie Redmond has decided to hang up his boots. The Erin's Isle man who last Sunday won a second Dublin Senior football championship medal with the Finglas Club celebrates his 35th birthday next month.
"I feel that now is the best time for me to retire," he said. "I wouldn't fancy starting out again for another season. To attain and maintain the levels of fitness now required at inter-county level was becoming more difficult."
Twice an All-Star award winner (1994 and 1995) Redmond rejects the notion that gaelic football is becoming dirtier. "The current players are a lot fitter and you can feel the knocks more."
To cut down on fouls though he would favour the Kilmacud Crokes sevens idea of awarding two points for a converted free.
On the state of the game in the capital Redmond said: "Dublin on top is good for the game generally. The game will always benefit when there is a strong Dublin team because everybody wants to beat us."
Although a follower of soccer as well, he feels that gaelic football and hurling will always win out in the battle with competing associations "for the minds and hearts of the youngsters".
Former Dublin manager Pat O'Neill said Redmond was "a great servant and wonderful performer. He had an amazing career, one of the all time great careers."
Redmond intends to "go back to the club and get involved with training the juveniles."
A little known fact is that he won a county championship hurling medal with "Isles" in 1983.
His proudest possessions though are the All-Ireland medals won with Dublin in 1983 (v Galway) and 1995 (v Tyrone). He regrets that in 1995 his sending off controversy had taken some of the spotlight away from the win itself.
He is also the holder of seven Leinster senior football championship medals and three National League awards.
He won his first Dublin senior football medal in 1993 and figured on the losing side of all subsequent county finals until last Sunday.
Kerry is his tip to win Sunday's All-Ireland final but he wouldn't be surprised if the experience gained by Mayo last year comes good for them.
Kilkenny have left a vacancy at corner-forward on their team to play Cork in the All-Ireland intermediate hurling semi-final replay at Dungarvan on Saturday. If fit, Dermot Fennelly will fill the vacancy.
Tipperary have had a change of heart about participating in the Five-County SH Winter League. Beaten finalists last year, Tipperary decided at a previous meeting of the county board not to be involved this year, but at a meeting of the board this week an approach by the county selectors led to a reversal of that decision. The selectors felt that the lay-off to next year's National League was too long and that with players retiring, the special league affords the opportunity to look at new players without interfering with the local championships.
