On the day he confirmed his retirement from inter-county football, we pay a pictorial tribute to Cork’s Noel O’Leary, one of the toughest defenders of modern times.
The hard as nails wing-back confirmed his decision to hang up his boots in an interview with the Irish Examiner today (more on that here), bringing the curtain down on an inter-county career that spanned an impressive 14 years and included the Rebels’ All-Ireland triumph in 2010.
The Cill na Mantra clubman had a reputation as one of most fearsome defenders in the game and as well as doing a smashing job when marking Marty Clarke in the 2010 decider, he will be remembered for some of his legendary battles with Kerry’s Paul Galvin in numerous Cork v Kerry meetings over the years.
Cork GAA paid tribute to O’Leary with a statement on their official Facebook page this morning which read: “All-Ireland Senior Football medal winner, Noel O’Leary, has announced his retirement from the inter-county scene in today’s Irish Examiner.
“The Cill na Martra man has given outstanding service to Cork GAA, having made his début in 2000 and played a vital role in Cork’s progress since, particularly during the 2010 All-Ireland winning campaign. He also has the distinction of being the only man from his club to have ever won Minor and Senior All-Ireland titles with Cork.
“Many thanks to Noel for his dedication to Cork GAA for so many years, and best of luck to him in his future endeavours.”
We wish him all the best in his retirement.
