I'm not talking about picking up a bad injury that forces retirement one player. An ordinary club player when do you hang it up? Do you keep going until you do pick up a bad injury that ends it for you? Is it when you feel you aren't enjoying it anymore?

Brianmac78 (Dublin) - Posts: 1168 - 13/07/2016 15:59:54    1882621

Enjoyment. If you don't enjoy it, then stop and find something you do enjoy. You'll know when you have to call it a day. I did.

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 13/07/2016 16:16:03    1882630

woops (Kerry) - Posts: 2073 - 13/07/2016 16:25:33    1882634

When you can't bend down to do up your laces its time to be away.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 13/07/2016 16:43:30    1882646

Whammo86 (Antrim) - Posts: 4217 - 13/07/2016 16:57:14    1882659

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 13/07/2016 16:57:44    1882660

Yea Woops. I remember when I realised I'd Iost my pace and not only was I beaten to the ball by the young lads, they would just accelerate away with it, and me running as hard as I could in their wake.

Also the little injuries you pick up take longer to heal and the knees, although never injured them playing, I want to preserve them for walking the hills of Éire and beyond.

I will say this, I stopped one year too soon. I have never won a medal and the following year our hurlers won the Junior championship. I have to live with that, so factor it in before you make that decision.

Suas Sios (None) - Posts: 1550 - 13/07/2016 18:28:16    1882708

When your up to your arse in work doing 10hours a day sparking on a building site and half asleep on the way home from work, the thoughts of going training aint that appealing let me tell ye.if youve a handy number workwise you might be able to keep going for a few more years.i had to jack it in a couple of years ago meself for that reason alone..

GGdub (Dublin) - Posts: 260 - 13/07/2016 21:36:02    1882800

When it takes 20 mins to put on the gear and 2 mins to take it off.

Cuhullain (Kildare) - Posts: 271 - 13/07/2016 21:47:47    1882811

There is always junior B and C. I kind of packed up at 31 because I was not up for commitment a few nights a week. However, 7 years on and I still tog out and play a small bit. I stay fit and a game every now and again is enjoyable. In some small clubs, retirement is not an option anyway...

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 13/07/2016 21:49:35    1882814

When you hit the corner flag from the 13m line
All jokes aside, everybody has their reasons, but you just know. I didn't want to wait around until I was told so I made it easy for them :D

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8589 - 14/07/2016 01:42:32    1882877

I packed it at 19 owing to persistent back trouble which was getting debilitating, it's frustrating because you love playing but in the long run I'm probably far better off.

I know that's not really the circumstances you're talking about but my point is, don't be afraid to walk away at any age if you know you're doing yourself damage by playing on.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 14/07/2016 09:39:55    1882920

I would echo the Down poster's thoughts on leaving prematurely. We lost a championship final 2 years ago and I was for packing it in. I was getting married the following year and no longer living near home which meant a 2 hour round trip twice a week for training plus game at the weekend. But I decided to give it another whirl and we ended up winning a league and championship double. So after that, it made my decision to bow out that bit easier.

In terms of knowing physically when to go I would say that obviously a serious injury or potential for future mobility problems ends the discussion stone dead. I was lucky enough to avoid any major injuries, never needed surgery for example. Positionally, my manager reinvented me as a corner forward having previously spent most of my playing days as a box to box type wing forward. My manager and I realised when I no longer had the legs for that so I finished my days as more of a finisher. Trained and trained making "on the loop" runs receiving wee pop passes from our very good and unselfish ball winning full forward, before tapping points over.

Tomas O'Sé wrote a good piece in last Saturday's Indo about older players havinga role to play. Good managers will cater for experienced men who still have something to offer. So I guess what I'd advise is that if you're relatively injury free and still enjoying it, then don't throw in the towel. You'll have 50 years God willing to come wishing you were still able to tog out!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 9132 - 14/07/2016 09:45:17    1882922

You never retire on your Parish, they retire you.

BlackAndBlue (UK) - Posts: 100 - 14/07/2016 10:13:24    1882952

Damothedub (Dublin) - Posts: 5193 - 14/07/2016 11:06:29    1882978

You can keep playing to 40 plus if you enjoy it. You will know when to retire and its when the enjoyment stops. Most of us start playing because of the enjoyment and continue playing until the legs makes the enjoyment very difficult. When it takes 30 minutes to tog out and you do not warm up until the match is long over, then you know your time is up-happy days

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2342 - 14/07/2016 11:20:02    1882989

when the young 17 year old whipper snapper you are marking is gone so fast when the ball is coming you don't even have time to grab his hurl, jersey, arm, or break a hurl across him..... ;)

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 14/07/2016 11:35:12    1883000

When the wife is standing holding a brood of weans with that look on your face as you say "I'm just off to training/the match/team meeting".

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 14/07/2016 12:14:00    1883039

When you havent recovered from the last training session and the next one is coming up or when your basically in pain for the entire week as you recover from match to training session to match etc etc.

That done it for me, discovering every morning a new part of ye aching as ye hobbled down the stairs.

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1336 - 14/07/2016 12:53:22    1883074

when you spend more time warming-up than you do on the pitch.

s goldrick (Cavan) - Posts: 5518 - 14/07/2016 13:08:43    1883089