James O'Donoghue has confirmed that he has played his last game for Kerry.
It was widely assumed that O’Donoghue’s inter-county career was at an end when he had withdrew from the squad last year but he has now moved to put it beyond all doubt.
O’Donoghue was Footballer of the Year as Kerry won the All-Ireland in 2014 having won the first of his two All Stars the year before.
But he struggled badly with numerous injuries in subsequent years, most notably with his shoulder, and only made sporadic contributions as his 2014 form became an increasingly distant memory.
Speaking to Off The Ball’s Football Pod, he said: “It’s all over, it’s all over bar the shouting.
"Last year, I was fighting an uphill battle. Realistically, I stepped away from the panel just before the going got very serious because I wasn’t really contributing. I told them at that stage that I was retiring but because Kerry were going too well, we decided not to put out a statement and throw all the good vibes out of the camp. So we just kept it under wraps.
"It’s a painful one, it’s definitely something that’s going to be hard, but it’s the right thing.”
Despite that, he said he entertained thoughts of a recall when Jack O’Connor was appointed in succession to Peter Keane last autumn but ultimately he wasn’t physically up to it.
“I know Jack well, very well and have always got on great with him, and I know that if I was right, I could have picked up the phone and rang him and said, ‘I’m thinking about changing my mind, what do you think?’
“I actually did give a go at getting into very good nick for it, just to see if I could give it one last go, but do you know what - my body wasn’t up to it, just that the way it is.
“I’ll go back to the club now, tailor my programme and I guarantee you that I might not see another injury, just the slight drop in intensity might suit me. If I was right I could have picked up the phone and we’d have had a chat, but it just didn’t feel right.”
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