Tipperary's two-time football All Star Declan Browne has announced his retirement from intercounty football. Browne (29), played his last game for the county in Saturday's Tommy Murphy Cup quarter-final defeat against Clare in Ardfinnan.
The Moyle Rovers clubman made his championship debut against Kerry in 1996 and racked up 25 championship appearances in total. He was honoured as Tipperary's first football All Star in 1998 - and collected a second award in 2003.
A multiple county championship medallist with Moyle Rovers, Browne won a Munster minor football medal in 1995, a Munster minor hurling medal in 1996 and a Munster Under-21 hurling medal in 1999, as well as a McGrath Cup medal in 2003.
Browne captained Tipperary to win the 2005 Tommy Murphy Cup, scoring the side's crucial third goal against Wexford. But he never got his hands on a Munster SFC medal.
Browne said: "Unfortunately I never won that medal; it just got away from me. It's a disappointment when I look back on things - especially after seeing the delight on the faces of the Sligo footballers last Sunday. That could have been us in 2002; we got our chance and didn't take it. Regret is a strong word, though - it would have been nice to cap it off with that medal but that's sport."
Tipperary went desperately close to Munster glory in 2002, drawing with Cork in the Munster final at Semple Stadium before losing heavily in the replay.
Browne admitted that the decision to call time on his career was a "big call" - but even before this year's championship, he had his mind made up. He explained: "The legs are not the way they were two or three years ago and this is not a rash decision. I've put plenty of thought into it and I'm happy with that - it's been three or four days a week for the last number of years and that takes its toll. I just wasn't looking forward to going back in the winter and facing into another championship next year in its current format.
"We could end up being drawn against Kerry and straight into the Tommy Murphy Cup again.
"Of course it's a big call to make but I had my mind made up either way that I was gone.
"The old hunger isn't there any more and I always said that when you don't enjoy putting the boots in the bag to go to training any more, it's time to pack it in. I'm not getting any younger either but it's a combination of factors.
"I felt that the time was right, I gave it everything I could and I don't have any personal regrets. It would have been nice to end up with a few medals but that's the way it goes.
"It's going to be hard to fill the gaps but everybody's time comes to an end and I have a lot of mileage on the clock.
"I'll give a good few years to my club now - I have a few seasons left in the tank with Moyle Rovers all going well and it will be nice to repay them some bit."
