Brendan Maher announces retirement from inter-county hurling

By Shane Brophy

A player that will go down as one of Tipperary’s greats, Brendan Maher has announced his retirement from senior inter-county hurling.

For the Borris-Ileigh clubman, it brings to an end a seventeen year involvement with the Premier County having first joined the minor panel at sixteen years of age in 2005, going onto win almost every honour in the game, including 3 senior, 1 under 21 and two minor All-Ireland titles, as well as numerous Munster titles.

He joined the Tipperary senior panel in 2009 and over the last thirteen years playing 58 championship games in a range of positions from corner back to midfield.

“After 13 years playing with Tipperary, I have decided that now is the right time to announce my retirement from inter-county hurling,” Maher said in a statement this morning.

“It was a huge honour and privilege for me to wear the Tipperary jersey and I am very grateful to have played with so many top-class players and to have enjoyed many successes with them. The inter-county game requires very significant commitment, and I am happy that I can look back on my career with no regrets having given everything that I could during my time with Tipperary.

“Firstly, I want to thank the Tipperary players sincerely, I have made lifelong friendships with so many of them. I am also very grateful to the managers and backroom teams who gave me so much support and guidance.

“As a player, I always received immense support from the Tipperary County Board, Tipperary Supporters Club and Associations, Tipperary team sponsors and the GPA. I want to thank all of them. Thanks also to the Tipperary supporters who I have always been so proud to represent.

“To my club, Borris-Ileigh, where it all began, a huge thank you. I look forward to what the next few years will bring as we continue our journey. My friends have also been hugely supportive of me and helped me in so many ways over the course of my career, for which I am very grateful.

“My parents, Johnny and Anne, have done everything they possibly could to support and encourage me and there are no words to describe my gratitude to them. I have always looked up to my three older brothers, Sean, Declan, and Martin, to whom I am very grateful for instilling such self-belief and will to win in me. My nieces, nephews and extended family have always been very loyal supporters and I want to say thanks to all of them.

“I am very lucky to have had such constant support and encouragement from my fiancée, Aoife. She has helped me get through the toughest of times and being able to share so many wonderful moments with her has made it all extra special.

“Finally, I wish Tipperary all the very best for 2022 and beyond. I have no doubt that the players and management will do everything in their power to bring more success to the county in the years ahead.”

Tipperary County Board extended its best wishes to Brendan on the announcement of his retirement from the Tipperary senior hurling panel and thanked him for his commitment, dedication and selflessness during his distinguished career at both underage and adult level.

“Brendan led by example on and off the pitch and was hugely respected and admired by his fellow players and management teams. Brendan was instrumental in many of Tipperary’s successes and was someone who stood tall when the pressure to perform was at its highest level. We are extremely grateful to Brendan for his service to the county and we wish him the very best of good luck in the future,” the statement read.