Fitzpatrick retires from Kilkenny hurling

[GalwayBayBoy]

It's probably been 3 years since he was actually on the team since Cody went for bigger more athletic lads around the middle. Probably just got sick of sitting up in the stand and didn't see a way back in without a few injuries.

[Bord na Mona man]

He lost a bit of form in the last while. He had the mumps at one stage and that might be part of it.
At his peak he was excellent, though he probably wasn't Cody's type of power midfielder.
26 is very young to be retiring.

26 is very young - is it the case that he was either a midfielder or nothing ? Could he not have beenv tried at wing half forward - the half back line wouldn't be easy to get onto.

Fitzpatrick struck me as more of the old school hurler who thrived in a looser sort of game. Great wrists, great anticipation and using the ball intelligently.

Now that half forward vs. half back contests resemble American Football scrimmage, I doubt he could play elsewhere.
A 6ft 3ins hurling machine like Michael Fennelly is now the template midfielder.

[sammymaguire]

It's probably been 3 years since he was actually on the team since Cody went for bigger more athletic lads around the middle. Probably just got sick of sitting up in the stand and didn't see a way back in without a few injuries.

big come down from lifting Liam aloft in 2008 to warming the subs bench... you can understand a certain amount of his frustration

[gallsman]

Absolutely lovely hurler at times, but hasn't really been near the starting 15 for a good few years. Very disappointing indeed.

Think he had an incident a few years ago similar to Tennyson's "there's more to life than hurling" line that fractured things for a bit.

[INDIANA]

Heard his interview this evening and he was anything but petulant.  He basically said that he was not as good as the other lads at going from box to box.  I thought he was extremely honest.

Cha for Dublin now???

Inevitable that talk will turn to this. Personally would be disappointed  if he threw in his lot with us. Would set hurling back years  here in the city imho. The O'Dwyer "transfer" still rankles with me. Can't see him leaving Ballyhale anyway.

As for Cha "retiring" I think that his comments have been hugely taken out of context and that he was graceful in his thoughts.
Emergence of Fennelly in essence meant it would be very hard for him to get back on team.

I'd say only a clown was rankling when O Dwyer hit 3-2 against Limerick this year. I'm fed up listening to the football fraternity in Dublin preaching the high moral ground on inter county transfers when they were at it for years.


What was Daly supposed to do? Tell him to f*** off? If some of the other dublin players were prepared to spill as much blood we would be laughing.

[Canalman]

Heard his interview this evening and he was anything but petulant.  He basically said that he was not as good as the other lads at going from box to box.  I thought he was extremely honest.

Cha for Dublin now???

Inevitable that talk will turn to this. Personally would be disappointed  if he threw in his lot with us. Would set hurling back years  here in the city imho. The O'Dwyer "transfer" still rankles with me. Can't see him leaving Ballyhale anyway.

As for Cha "retiring" I think that his comments have been hugely taken out of context and that he was graceful in his thoughts.
Emergence of Fennelly in essence meant it would be very hard for him to get back on team.

I'd say only a clown was rankling when O Dwyer hit 3-2 against Limerick this year. I'm fed up listening to the football fraternity in Dublin preaching the high moral ground on inter county transfers when they were at it for years.


What was Daly supposed to do? Tell him to f*** off? If some of the other dublin players were prepared to spill as much blood we would be laughing.

Okeydoke............... takes a deep breadth............ my gripe with O'Dwyer's transfer was  that he was training with Dublin BEFORE he even played for Kilmacud. The other two lads had played club hurling and settled here in Dublin well in advance of declaring for Dublin. I think the term is that he was "parachuted" in.


Call me a sentimental old fool but I would prefer to see a homegrown team win rather than a team backboned by outsiders.If we are not good enough so be it.

No problem with the 3 lads playing at the moment but would leave it at that.

[orangeman]

Canalman, Fair dues to you for taking that view.

Unfortunately I think in football and hurling, we're going to see more of these inter county transfers. Some have already alluded to other counties offering very nice signing on fees encouragement to play for them.
And we're in a recession ?.