David Clarke and Andy Moran first crossed paths in the Mayo centre of excellence 20 years ago.
15-year-olds at the time, they had high hopes with the round ball and they had high hopes for the green and red. What a journey it’s been since.
Minor and under-21 championships were won in Connacht. Moran and Clarke were two of the most highly rated young prospects in the county.
These lads were only getting going. They went onto play 15 years together on the Mayo senior team, soldiering on through all the thick and the thin that lay ahead.
The two of them were always there. 2020 will have a different feel to it for Mayo.
The news that Andy Moran has hung up his inter-county boots doesn’t come as a huge shock to Clarke, he nods that time flies and that everyone’s day comes. But the 35-year-old goalkeeper will still never forget the welcoming nature he oozed and the selfless teammate Andy Moran was in the Mayo dressing room.
Andy Moran has retired from inter-county football.
A @MayoGAA servant for 15 years, a half back, a half forward, a full forward.
A warrior.
He confirmed the news on @SecondCaptains.
– 8 Connacht titles
– 2 All-Stars
– 1 Footballer of the YearGo well, Andy 👏 pic.twitter.com/M9sNCfTcMd
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) August 26, 2019
“He was a great lad. You couldn’t possibly have a better teammate.”
“Andy was a very welcoming fella for anybody new coming into the panel. He’d go out of his way to make a lad feel welcome and to make sure everybody is a part of it. He was always the life and soul of the team, the life and soul of the dressing room, even from when he was just a young lad,” Clarke said to SportsJOE.
“You’d see him coaching fellas one-to-one, that was one of the things that struck me most about Andy that he’d be coaching and helping lads along who’d be going for the same position as he was…”
“And even though he had a burning desire to play, he could always see the bigger picture that way. He’d always do what was best for the team, what was best for Mayo football. He’s the most unselfish teammate you could have and he’s going to be a huge loss for Mayo football…”
“There wasn’t many like him…”
2017, his finest hour.
A year when Andy Moran was absolutely unplayable pic.twitter.com/OyOZL3HVUE
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) August 26, 2019
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