(Photo – Galway GAA)
Galway footballer Gary Sice has become the latest to announce his inter county retirement after calling time on a 10-year career that yielded two Connacht titles.
Manager Kevin Walsh confirmed the news to assembled media after the Tribesmen’s Connacht FBD League meeting with Mayo was postponed and re-fixed for this Friday (12th January, 7.30pm MacHale Park).
Sice was a key figure since making his debut in 2007 and was involved in the 2017 Connacht Final loss to Roscommon in Pearse Stadium. The All-Ireland winner with Corofin won a Hogan Cup in 2002 with St. Jarlath’s College, Tuam and was part of the 2005 All-Ireland under 21 winning Galway team.
(Video – Official GAA)
He joins Michael Meehan and Finian Hanley who confirmed their retirements before Christmas while Walsh also has to plan without Gary O’Donnell (ankle), Michael Daly (knee), Fiontan O Curraoin (broken leg) and Sean Armstrong (back) before their opening league joust with Tyrone on January 28th.
“Obviously, Michael Meehan, Gary Sice, and Finian Hanley have called it a day,” said Walsh. “Sean Armstrong is still undergoing his own programme. Whether he will make league or not, at this stage, it will be tight.
“Gary O’Donnell is (out until) mid-league, Fiontán Ó Curraoin will miss the league, Michael Daly will probably miss the whole league, as well. It’s disappointing for us to get to Division 1 and to be missing that amount.”
The main man Gary Sice was influential from start to finish for Corofin as they are crowned Connacht SFC Champions! pic.twitter.com/O4huGRphrU
— AIB_GAA (@AIB_GAA) November 27, 2016
Walsh was disappointed with the late decision to postpone the Sunday’s game. Referee Paddy Neilan called the contest off at 2.02pm (two minutes after the scheduled throw-in) leaving 2,000 supporters out of pocket as the Connacht Council handed out no refunds but tickets for future FBD games.
“There was no option there,” added Walsh. “The pitch isn’t playable. That’s the bottom line. There is no point waiting half an hour because it’s still freezing.
“You’d certainly be hoping that maybe you’d think that by 11 o’clock this morning you’d know if it was playable or not before people left home.”
Galway face two games in two days as they also meet Leitrim on Sunday (14th) before taking on Roscommon a week later (21st).
