Galway camogie boss Tony Ward has led the tributes to Therese Maher who has announced her inter-county retirement.

The 33-year-old centre back has decided to bring their curtain down on her 17-year Galway career after finally get her hands on an All-Ireland medal last September. The Athenry woman made her debut as a 16-year-old in 1997, a year after the Tribe's last O'Duffy Cup win.

"She'll be a huge loss to us, but it was always going to happen some time. Maybe at the back of our minds we expected it a little bit, but it still came as a shock," Ward said of the five-time All Star in the Irish Examiner.

"She went 17 years without injury and she has a bit of a problem with her knee at the minute. She felt the time was right.

"We all know about her brilliance on the field, but it was her capacity to pull a team together when things weren't going well that was outstanding. All the players looked up to her young and old.

"After 17 years she really deserved that medal. It wasn't as if she was there making up the numbers either, she had the game of her life in Croke Park. I feel she thought the right time had come to finish up." Tweet

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