IN THE end the only surprise about Ciarán Whelan’s decision to retire from intercounty football was that there was no surprise.

After 13 consecutive seasons with Dublin, almost all of which saw him as their number one midfielder, Whelan had already indicated in the days after the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry “it was unlikely he’d wear a Dublin jersey again”, and yesterday he merely confirmed that.

He turns 32 next month but it’s not just his age that prompted his retirement but more the longevity of his service to Dublin, and the realisation that it simply doesn’t come as easy as it once did.

Whelan made his senior debut in the Leinster championship back in 1996, against Meath, and having consulted in recent days with Dublin manager Pat Gilroy, came to the almost inevitable conclusion; he didn’t have anything more to offer.

To some extent it marks the end of an era for Dublin, although for Whelan the decision can’t have been made without some regret. Not only did he fail to capture that elusive All-Ireland medal, he never even got to contest an All-Ireland final.

Not that he has nothing to show for his efforts. This summer he collected his sixth Leinster title, and was twice honoured with an All Star – first in 1999, and again in 2007, alongside one of his old nemeses, Darragh Ó Sé.

In confirming his decision to retire yesterday, Whelan indicated he had already made up his mind that 2009 would be his last year, and there was plenty of evidence throughout the summer to suggest it would be.

For the first time in his career he wasn’t a first-choice midfielder, and instead started Dublin’s four championship matches on the bench, as Gilroy opted instead for the fresher pairing of Ross McConnell and Darren Magee.

However, it was just 15 minutes into the Kerry game, as Dublin were already being taken apart, when Whelan was summoned from the bench, to replace Magee.

However, he failed to make the desired impact as Kerry ran out convincing winners and with that the writing was already on the wall.

“Deep down in my own mind I knew this would be the last year,” said Whelan.

“I discussed it with the family at home and the way the year turned out, playing a limited amount of time and given the amount of commitment and effort that goes into it. It’s really a time factor.

“And my body isn’t recovering as quick as I’d like. Every year the commitments are getting bigger.

“I reached the stage in my own head where I was quite clear that it was time to move on. But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. For 14 years it’s been a childhood dream come true. I wouldn’t change any bit of it.”

He also served two years as Dublin captain, in 2003 and 2004.

It’s not the end of his football days, however, and Whelan will continue to play for his club, Raheny, starting tomorrow evening in the last-16 clash of the Dublin championship, against Lucan Sarsfields.

In the meantime it remains to be seen whether Dublin’s other veterans, Jason Sherlock and Shane Ryan, will join Whelan in footballing retirement.