Christy O'Connor: TJ Reid and Michael Murphy bowed out to acclaim but some perfer to slip away quietly

At the end of Colm Parkinson’s interview with Rathgormack footballer Jason Curry on his ‘Smaller Fish’ podcast earlier this week, Parkinson asked Curry if he had officially retired from Waterford on the show.

Having played for Waterford for 11 years, but not having featured for the county this season, Curry more or less said earlier in the show that his inter-county days were over. Farming and a young family had taken its toll. So Parkinson asked him for official confirmation at the end of their discussion.

“I suppose I may as well, I’m retired from inter-county,” said Curry. 

“Look, obviously it’s a tough decision, but I have made my choice now and that’s it.

“It was a chat myself and Ephie (Fitzgerald – Waterford manager) had last year and he was understanding of the decision and we just left it at that. 

"There was no need to be going making big statements or anything. There wasn’t going to be anyone too concerned about it.” 

Players who spend most of their careers in Division 4 don’t always release a statement, or make their departure public whenever they do decide to walk away. 

Curry deserved some form of recognition from the county board after over a decade’s service, but his comments also offered another window into the life of an inter-county player on the breadline compared to the stars who regularly dine at the top table.

That vast gulf between the top and the bottom was even more evident when Curry’s announcement came so soon after two of the game’s greatest players – TJ Reid and Michael Murphy – walked away from the inter-county game the previous week.

Reid and Murphy were rightly paid the tributes and given the plaudits and homage that their stellar careers deserved, especially when they were two such era-defining figures in the history of the GAA.

Reid departs as hurling’s highest scoring hurler, while Murphy was an icon because of how much he was a representation of Donegal football for close to two decades. 

In the history of the game, it’s unlikely that any other player captained their county for 12 consecutive years as Murphy did.

Slipped away

Players of that immense calibre and status were never going to slip away quietly but some players do want to walk away without any fanfare or fuss. 

To effectively walk out the door unnoticed.

One of the greatest Gaelic footballers of all time – certainly the most influential – tried to leave in that manner - but Stephen Cluxton was never going to be able to walk away unseen or undetected.

When Cluxton finally hung up his inter-county boots at the end of the 2025 championship as the most capped and successful Gaelic footballer in history, having captained Dublin to seven All-Irelands, he left without saying he was leaving. It’s how Cluxton always wanted it to be.

When Ger Brennan took over from Dessie Farrell as manager in September 2025, he announced the goalkeeper’s departure on Cluxton’s behalf, as he was joining Brennan’s backroom team as a coach/selector. “If you can get him (Cluxton) to use the word ‘retirement’,” Brennan outlined to the media, “fair play to you.” 

Cluxton always shied away from any public pronouncements, but he certainly wasn’t the only iconic Gaelic footballer who abided by that principle, who in turn wanted to quietly slip away when the time came to do so.

After having his role reduced to an impact sub with Kerry in 2000 and 2001 – a manner of fierce debate in the county – Maurice Fitzgerald made no formal announcement when not linking up with the panel in 2002.

Injuries were a key factor but Michael Donnellan – who won All-Irelands with Galway in 1998 and 2001 – quietly strolled into the sunset in 2006 at just 28.

Those players didn’t want any blasting trumpets ringing in their ears, or flower bouquets fired at them to celebrate such fantastic careers, which they absolutely deserved.

They never wanted that fuss as players in their prime on the greatest days either, but there is no easy way either of saying goodbye when the time comes to walk away.

Some players are content with their lot and are happy to write their retirement statements, often at length, taking the opportunity to thank family, friends, partners and colleagues for their understanding.

Others write those words against their will and are content to keep it short. They want to disappear into the background. Some players don’t feel their career justifies releasing a statement. Others are embarrassed by the attention they receive when an announcement is made.

More just crave – especially the high-profile players – a return to greater levels of privacy after spending a decade living under intense scrutiny and public expectation.

It’s often county boards and the GPA that coordinate those exit statements, but most are written with a heavy heart - because players are leaving such a huge part of their life behind.

When some players close the final chapter on their inter-county days, they’d prefer to do so without a public tribute.

When Kilkenny player Padraig Walsh retired a couple of years back, he did so without making a statement. Similar to Curry, Walsh made an understated exit when he was asked the question, confirming the news to the ‘Irish Independent’ nearly five months after playing in the 2023 All-Ireland final.

Shortly after Walsh confirmed his retirement, Kilkenny GAA issued a statement to commend a player who had won seven Leinster titles and two All-Irelands. ‘Padraig’s achievements and service to Kilkenny GAA speak for themselves,’ it concluded.

Some players prefer to abide by the famous line from the song written by Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet that they say it best by saying nothing at all.