Former Waterford captain Pauric Mahony says he is at peace with his decision to retire from intercounty hurling.
Despite being only 30 at the time, the dead-ball specialist stepped away from the intercounty scene in January of this year. Mahony joined the county senior panel in 2011 during Davy Fitzgerald’s first spell in charge of Waterford.
“Even looking back at this year and going to most of the games, there was never any stage where I questioned myself or anything like that,” says Mahony, who had to battle back from a 2020 cruciate knee ligament injury.
“I would have spoken to Davy in October or November this time last year, and then I didn’t make that decision until mid-January. I was hoping I might get the hunger back, but mentally and physically I knew I didn’t have it and I had no more to give.
“I think once you get to that stage, you are better off just cutting it and there’s a lot of other things I’m happy to prioritise in life now, so I am content with the decision I made.
“I probably dragged out the decision by a couple of months on that basis, because maybe I wanted to see if I got the hunger or desire to go back. Unfortunately, I just didn’t have the drive, the want to go through it all wasn’t there.”
Ballygunner’s current standing as one of the best club teams in the country has helped Mahony quench his competitive thirst, but he views Austin Gleeson’s decision to step away from Waterford much differently to his own departure. Mahony believes a break from the intercounty game could be just what Gleeson needs to rediscover the fire within.
“I got married last year and we were on day two [of the celebrations], we were talking, I thought he was going to do it last year but obviously Davy persuaded him to give it one go with him and see if he might get that new lease of life again and love for the game,” says Mahony.
“Obviously it hasn’t panned out like that and he has had a few injuries as well, so I think mentally and physically for himself I think he has made the right call.
“For long enough intercounty players put the team first and you kind of become a slave to it almost, so I think he has done the right thing to recharge the batteries, refresh the body and the mind and hopefully we’ll see him back at some stage in the Waterford jersey, whether that’s 2024 or 2025.”
Meanwhile, Mahony has seen the clips of what happened to referee Barry Tiernan after Sunday’s AIB Leinster club SFC clash between Tullamore and Summerhill, and the Ballygunner clubman says all stakeholders have a responsibility to ensure the safety of match officials.
“Without referees and officials, we don’t have competitive games,” he says. “You can’t condone what happened at the weekend and I am sure that there is plenty of regret on the side of the people who were involved, but I think we have to be controlled and disciplined and have that respect for referees.
“Ultimately, they are trying to do their best, mistakes happen and we have to be able to park it and move on in a respectful manner.”
– Pauric Mahony was speaking at the launch of the 2023-24 AIB Club Championships.
