Kerry Gaelic football great Marc Ó Sé says it is the right time for him to call an end to his inter-county career.
The 36-year-old right corner back and member of the Ó Sé Gaelic football dynasty will continue to play club football for An Ghaeltacht but brings down the curtain on a career with Kerry that yielded three All-Stars, a Footballer of the Year award in 2007 and five All-Irelands.
"I think the time is right. It's the right time for myself and my family," he told Off The Ball of his decision.
"And you know what? I think it's the right time for Kerry as well because there are a lot of young fellas coming through. Kerry are after winning the last three All-Ireland Minors and the future bodes well for us. It's time to give these fellas a chance. You can hang around too long as well I think and it's important that you know yourself.
"I'm 36 years of age now, 16 years on the panel. I think it's time to pass on the baton."
Ó Sé praised Eamonn Fitzmaurice's man-management but also admitted that he wasn't always happy not being a regular starter this year.
"Obviously I wasn't too happy sitting down this year. After the National League Final, I suppose I bore the brunt possibly of the poor performance on the day against the Dubs. I was sitting down and I tried my hardest to get back on the team but it wasn't to be. Obviously it was tough and you do your best to get back but look, it didn't happen for me unfortunately," he said.
"I got to come in games but I wasn't having the same influence I was having in other years. That definitely came into consideration when I was making my decision. But it was an easy decision."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
