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GAA Discussion => Hurling Discussion => Topic started by: Declan on April 08, 2016, 08:54:07 AM

Title: Keaney retires
Post by: Declan on April 08, 2016, 08:54:07 AM
See Conal confirmed that he's retired from the hurlers. Great servant to the Dubs and the best hurler we've produced.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Keyboard Warrior on April 08, 2016, 09:07:54 AM
Quote from: Declan on April 08, 2016, 08:54:07 AM
See Conal confirmed that he's retired from the hurlers. Great servant to the Dubs and the best hurler we've produced.

Great dual player too.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: johnneycool on April 08, 2016, 09:17:33 AM
Quote from: Declan on April 08, 2016, 08:54:07 AM
See Conal confirmed that he's retired from the hurlers. Great servant to the Dubs and the best hurler we've produced.

A brave few miles on the clock all in, but what age of a lad would he be?
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: orangeman on April 08, 2016, 09:24:25 AM
Great player. To play after after the accident was remarkable in itself.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: AZOffaly on April 08, 2016, 09:27:36 AM
Best wishes to him. A very powerful hurler for the Dubs, always a threat in the air and well able to take a score. Fair play to him.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 09:29:56 AM
I would have preferred to see Castlebar win the AI club but I was glad for him to win that AI medal. I'm sure being a Dub he may not be short of them but I thought he'd retired before the dubs won any in the football??

Very good hurler - particularly strong fielder. Was never sure if he was forward or CHB but he was very versatile.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Declan on April 08, 2016, 10:13:30 AM
QuoteA brave few miles on the clock all in, but what age of a lad would he be?

33
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: muppet on April 08, 2016, 10:45:42 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?

Don't think so.

Best of luck to him. He was around with Bud when we did the Pieta House thing, nice fella.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Roashter on April 08, 2016, 10:46:48 AM
Don't think he got one which was a big pity.
He left the footballers in 2010 and they won in 2011
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:54:56 AM
Thought that. I was glad to see him get the club as I thought he hadn't got one.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Bud Wiser on April 08, 2016, 12:58:37 PM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?
All-Ireland U21 in 2005
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Bud Wiser on April 08, 2016, 01:03:18 PM
From our Community Council FB Page.

Know this will be covered on other media sources but.....our own little tribute !
Conal Keaney has announced his retirement from inter-county hurling and football and that is one hell of a sad announcement to everyone who enjoyed watching him play, especially all the younger players who will continue to look up to him. Conal won his first All-Ireland medal in 2003 when Dublin won U21 All-Ireland championship.

He was selected for the Dublin senior football team in 2005 when he won his first Leinster Championship medal against Laois. (which as a Laois man he constantly reminds me) He went on to win four more Leinster Football titles and while doing so he was nominated for Vodafone player of the month, highest scorer, man of the match and other awards and was selected for Ireland's International Rules team.

Along with the U21 All-Ireland medal he has 5 Leinster Senior Football medals, 1 Leinster Senior Hurling medal and 1 National League senior hurling medal. He represented Leinster in the Railway Cup (2006) when he was nominated for an All-Star. The "Dublin Hurling Resurgance" was due in no small way to the leadership of Conal and when Dublin defeated Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup there was a great buzz around Ballyboden and Firhouse. Conal played a key role in Dublin's hurling resurgence, scoring 14 points, and winning 'Man of the Match' in Dublin's defeat of the reigning All-Ireland hurling champions, Tipperary, in February 2011.

Few of us will ever forget the 22nd July 2011 when news filtered through to where we worked that Conal had been in a motorbike accident. Would Dublin have won an All-Ireland in 2011 had that accident not happened? They had beaten Limerick and their next game was against Tipp and he was raring to go so, whether they would have won the All-Ireland or not, the loss of Conal was a huge factor. When someone like Henry Shefflin gives him a special mention in his autobiography, that loss through injury is put in perspective.

At club level for Ballyboden he won 2 county senior football titles and five senior hurling titles. There are a lot of children on green spaces around Firhouse swinging hurls today who will always and forever look up to him. The winning of the All-Ireland Club Senior Football Championship on Patrick's Day was surely the icing on the cake and the perfect pedestal from which to announce his retirement from his Inter-County career.

Thank you Conal for all the enjoyment you gave. Thank you for being the gentleman that you are. Best of luck with your company, Park Bikes and of course the good news is that some golf club is going to gain a scratch golfer!
http://phoenixparkbikes.com/
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: nrico2006 on April 08, 2016, 01:29:42 PM
Quote from: Bud Wiser on April 08, 2016, 12:58:37 PM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?
All-Ireland U21 in 2005

2003
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Bud Wiser on April 08, 2016, 02:21:35 PM
correct 2003 and then 2005 to the seniors.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 02:31:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 10:45:42 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?

Don't think so.

Best of luck to him. He was around with Bud when we did the Pieta House thing, nice fella.

Lovely fella, can't say the same about the rest of the feckers I met around that time..

Who was the fecker who lost the key again?
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: muppet on April 08, 2016, 02:37:55 PM
Quote from: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 02:31:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 10:45:42 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?

Don't think so.

Best of luck to him. He was around with Bud when we did the Pieta House thing, nice fella.

Lovely fella, can't say the same about the rest of the feckers I met around that time..

Who was the fecker who lost the key again?

The key in the singing or the key in the door?
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 03:28:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 02:37:55 PM
Quote from: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 02:31:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 10:45:42 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?

Don't think so.

Best of luck to him. He was around with Bud when we did the Pieta House thing, nice fella.

Lovely fella, can't say the same about the rest of the feckers I met around that time..

Who was the fecker who lost the key again?

The key in the singing or the key in the door?

Don't think Liam or Noel Gallagher would be too impressed with the singing as for that Westmeath fecker, I'm not built to sleep on floors...
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Bord na Mona man on April 08, 2016, 10:04:04 PM
Keaney will be hard replaced because he gave Dublin an extra forward line dimension.
On the half forward line, he could win primary possession, brush off his marker and sling it over the bar. Most inter-county half forwards can only do 2 of the 3 above.
It meant Dublin could convert a clearance into a scoring chance needing less plays and less duels to win.

Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: rrhf on April 08, 2016, 10:14:20 PM
I'll never forget the electricity in the air in the Tyrone Dublin 05 replay as Keaney struck some sensational points. Some of the loudest moments I've been in Croke park.
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Unlaoised on April 19, 2016, 05:11:24 PM
Never liked him in either code thought he was exceptionally dirty off the ball in both codes...

credit where credit is due tho he was a great talent and such a strong player before every player started to become that way...
Title: Re: Keaney retires
Post by: Croí na hÉireann on May 31, 2016, 02:21:05 PM
Quote from: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 03:28:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 02:37:55 PM
Quote from: Dinny Breen on April 08, 2016, 02:31:56 PM
Quote from: muppet on April 08, 2016, 10:45:42 AM
Quote from: imtommygunn on April 08, 2016, 10:22:49 AM
Did he ever get a football AI Declan?

Don't think so.

Best of luck to him. He was around with Bud when we did the Pieta House thing, nice fella.

Lovely fella, can't say the same about the rest of the feckers I met around that time..

Who was the fecker who lost the key again?

The key in the singing or the key in the door?

Don't think Liam or Noel Gallagher would be too impressed with the singing as for that Westmeath fecker, I'm not built to sleep on floors...

*2 entries made into black book

Belated best wishes to Conal in retirement. Hopefully he has time now to arrange another day out with Bud for us.