Macauley calls time on inter-county career
DUBLIN'S Michael Darragh Macauley has brought the curtain down on a long and illustrious inter-county career.
In a short statement on Twitter, the Ballyboden St Enda's man said "Sin é uaimse. Míle buíochas ó chroí" (that’s it from me. Many sincere thanks).
Michael Darragh Macauley calls time on inter-county career
It marks the end of an unforgettable journey for the imposing midfielder who notched up no less than eight All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals with the Blues along with ten Leinster Championship and five National League titles wins.
Breaking into the senior inter-county set-up back in 2009, Macauley made his championship debut for the Dubs the following year when he was sprung from the bench in their clash with Wexford.
He scooped his first senior Celtic Cross medal in 2011 following Dublin’s dramatic triumph over Kerry in the decider that bridged a 16-year gap since the county had last captured the Sam Maguire.
It was to signal a period of dominance for Dublin that has continued right up to the present day with Macauley having been a part of it all, no more so than in 2013 when he was declared the Football of the Year.
He began to see a reduction in game time after sustaining an ACL injury in 2017 and while he worked hard to re-establish himself in the panel, he struggled to shake off knocks.
He came off the bench in the 2019 All-Ireland decider against Kerry as Dublin made it five-in-row, but again injury ruled him out of the National League in 2020 under Dessie Farrell.
And while he was in the matchday panel for last month’s All-Ireland showpiece against Mayo, he did not get the opportunity to play a part in the final step on the road to a sixth successive crown.
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