Colin Lynch calls it a day

Roashter · April 24, 2009, 08:46:27 AM

Colin Lynch has called it a day.
A super hurler who epitomised everything that there was about the Clare team in the late 90s, fitness, determination and with no shortage of skill.
Himself & Ollie Baker were a powerhouse in midfield and it's hard to believe that Lynch has only 1 all-Ireland medal
A great servant to Clare hurling (and also a very good footballer), and I wish hime the best on his retirement

Injury forces All-Ireland hero Lynch to call time on Banner career

Clare midfielder Colin Lynch has been forced to concede that his time as an inter-county hurler is over.
There was much speculation in Clare over the weekend that Lynch would not be in a position to hurl on with Care in 2009 because of a persistent back injury.
He held off on confirmation of that until he paid a visit to a specialist in Dublin yesterday and came to the conclusion that involvement with his county would be beyond him in 2009.
Accordingly the 34-year-old has brought the curtain down on an inter-county career that spanned 12 championship seasons.
"I suffered a back injury six weeks ago at training, I have missed too much time and it would not be possible to to be ready for a Munster championship at this stage," said Lynch yesterday.
"I had been following a personal training programme with (physio) Gerard Hartmann since November so I am disappointed it has come to this but, given the circumstances, it is the right decision," he added.
Lynch's departure means that Niall Gilligan is now the only survivor from Clare's last All-Ireland hurling title success in 1997. Gilligan himself had considered retirement towards the end of last year before re-committing.
Lynch was one of the most forceful and energetic midfielders of his day and forged a strong partnership with Ollie Baker towards the end of the 1990s.
He was controversially banned for three months in the summer of 1998 for incidents at the beginning of the Munster final replay against Waterford, a penalty that enraged the then manager Ger Loughnane and which would go on to dominate the summer's GAA headlines.
Among his better moments was his winning point late in the All-Ireland quarter-final against Galway in 2002.
Lynch made his inter-county debut in 1997 but he had been part of the training squad in late '94, when Loughnane took over, before illness forced him out of the plans.
He hopes to be back playing for his club in time for the local championship, which starts next month. Clare are not due out in the Munster championship until mid-June when they face Cork or Tipperary in a semi-final.

INDIANA · April 24, 2009, 08:55:55 AM

bar a few minutes of madness in one game. thought he was a terrific hurler. real hard nut- but he never got any credit for the quality of his hurling which was top drawer.

orangeman · April 24, 2009, 09:32:37 AM

A warrior if ever there was a warrior who hurled with the best of them over a long and glorious career. Guts, determination, athleticism, skill - he had them all.

The GAA · April 24, 2009, 10:01:05 AM

One of my favourite hurlers. absolute machine around the park and stickwork from the top drawer. jeez i miss that clare team.

awfulynice · April 24, 2009, 01:11:36 PM

very good hurler who was the heart of the clare hurling team for the last couple of years. Its really the end of an era for clare hurling at this stage and hopefully they will get some new hurling talent into the county team soon as all of the 95 team and squad is pretty much finished at this stage

AZOffaly · April 24, 2009, 05:49:26 PM

Pity to see him go out that way. A real worker in midfield, with a savage engine, and a good hurler to boot.

slow corner back · April 24, 2009, 09:48:56 PM

Great player sad to see him call it a day. Unfortunately we have been posting stuff like this about the Lohans Seanie McMahon etc for the last couple of years. Clare desperatly need someone to step up to the standards made by these men and quick. Hurling needs as many competitive counties as it can get and soon, Clare appear to be going in the wrong direction

didlyi · April 25, 2009, 12:03:40 AM

Clare will be back. Their hurling history is a roller coater ride but hurling is still the no 1 game in the county. They have had darker days than this even in the last 20 years. With the risk of sparking a '98 debate here I always felt that if Waterford had beaten Clare in the drawn 98 munster final then Clare would have spared themselves the debacle that ensued and would have won the AI thru the back door with Lynch playing and rubber stamped the 'great team' status that they deserved.

whiskeysteve · April 26, 2009, 01:58:55 PM

Big fan of Colin Lynch, sad to see him retire - just a pure savage on the pitch, loved his style

thejuice · May 01, 2009, 10:53:39 AM

Quote from: orangeman on April 24, 2009, 09:32:37 AM
A warrior if ever there was a warrior who hurled with the best of them over a long and glorious career. Guts, determination, athleticism, skill - he had them all.

Think the term Warrior sums him up all right. Thats what that Clare team were made of, fighters, and I mean that in a good way. Lynch was fierce on the field but could hurl with the best of them. Will be missed.

magpie seanie · May 13, 2009, 02:02:09 PM

A fantastic hurler and its sad to see him finish up. The giants from that great Clare team are practically all gone now. Weren't they great value all the same?