Dubs dual star forced to call it a day

A distinguished operator in both hurling and Gaelic Football, Dublin’s Shane Ryan has been forced into retirement because of a persistent back problem.

Ryan has been involved with the Dublin hurling panel since 2009, after deciding to throw his lot in with Anthony Daly’s side following a highly successful career with the Dublin footballers which yielded six Leinster titles and an All-Star award in 2008.

A back problem has seriously curtailed Ryan’s involvement with the Dublin hurlers since he made a scoring contribution from the bench during last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Tipperary and the 33-year has decided to hang up his hurl before the Dubs embark on their Leinster Championship campaign.

"I'll always remember the big wins but unfortunately it's hard to forget the big losses," Ryan is quoted as saying in the Irish Independent.

"But it's been a privilege to play with Dublin, I've been delighted to devote my life to it."

Dublin manager Anthony Daly added: "Shane's had such an illustrious career and was unfortunate not to win an All-Ireland medal."

Had Ryan stuck with the footballers for another couple of years, he would more than likely have landed that all-elusive All-Ireland medal last year, as he had been a consistently impressive performer for the Dubs for years.

Versatile, energetic and as strong as an ox, he often formed a formidable midfield partnership with Ciaran Whelan and was nearly impossible to stop once he built up a head of steam, a trait highlighted by nicknames such as ‘The Rhino’ and Shane ‘The Luas Ryan’ which are referenced on his Wikipedia page.

We wish him all the best.