Waterford’s Austin Gleeson announces retirement from inter-county hurling
Gleeson made his Waterford senior debut back in 2014
The former Hurler of the Year has called time on his inter-county career after over a decade in blue and white.
Gleeson made the announcement whilst speaking to the Off The Ball podcast yesterday.
“I’m fully done now”, the Mount Sion clubman said.
When asked about the reasons behind the decision, Gleeson cited not looking after his body properly in years gone by.
He explained: “Looking back at it, I probably didn’t look after my body in my early 20s or mid-20s and I’m probably paying the price for it now.
“And then miles on the clock and just getting older.”
“I know a lot of lads that would do recovery sessions and I felt, ‘No, I’m grand’. I only started doing them in recent years.
“Gym-wise, I wouldn’t have been first in and last out of the gym. I just liked to get in, get it done, and it wouldn’t have been my favourite thing to do.”
He also acknowledged that his off-season habits caught up to him in later years.
“The off-season, it was probably well documented, I didn’t look after myself in the off-seasons as well as I should have,” Gleeson said.
While the former All-Star said he “100 per cent” has regrets in that regard, he is “fairly content” with his decision to call time.
Gleeson’s decision brings the curtain down on a whirlwind Déise career, having made his senior debut in 2014.
In 2016, he was named Hurler of the Year and Young Hurler of the Year after an outstanding individual season.
In particular, he produced two seismic performances in the All-Ireland semi-final and subsequent replay against Kilkenny that year.
Gleeson’s wonderful solo goal against Cork at the same stage the following year is fondly remembered as one of the great Croke Park goals.
A few years out of the Jones’ Road spotlight followed, but a rejuvenated Gleeson and Waterford returned to hurling’s top table during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Mount Sion man produced another inspirational All-Ireland semi-final performance, as Waterford sought off Kilkenny to reach the 2020 decider.
Waterford have failed to reach the same heights in the years since, with the Déise not qualifying for the All-Ireland series since 2021.
Gleeson has endured a couple of years in the hurling wilderness, having stepped away from the Waterford panel in 2023 and featuring mostly off the bench in the two seasons since.
However, his off the shoulder point against Clare and magnificent sideline cut against Limerick earlier this year served as poignant reminders of his undeniable ability.
Although he ultimately fell short of hurling’s ultimate accolade, the Mount Sion man will be fondly remembered as one of the best hurlers of his generation.