Inside Track: McDonnell and Duffy bring stellar careers to a close

There couldn’t have been a more popular winner of a Leinster senior championship medal this year than Andy McDonnell, who, along with Bevan Duffy, has retired from inter-county football.

For over 15 seasons, the Newtown Blues clubman gave it everything in pursuit of success for club and county; and being the only survivor of the Louth team so cruelly denied Leinster glory in 2010, no one can say there was anyone more deserving of standing alongside Sam Mulroy as the team captain raised the Delaney Cup back in May.

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How different it all was to 15 years earlier. Weeping and gnashing of teeth as the cup went to the other side of the Boyne, after a finish to the game that was complete in contrast to this year’s.

It was all hands to the pumps as the 2010 final drew to a close, Louth forwards back giving a hand as Meath threw everything into attack, trying to make up a one-point deficit.

McDonnell, wearing the No. 11 jersey, was one of those helping out. In his anxiety to get his hands on the ball after it had come off a magnificent Paddy Keenan block on a Stephen Kenny shot, he got into a tangle with Dessie Finnegan.

The loose ball was picked up by Joe Sheridan, and, as they say, the rest is history.

History, however, would tell a different story had Tyrone referee, Martin Sludden, not made a decision which no one in the crowd of almost 48,000 at Croke Park – or the many, many more than that watching television – could understand.

Had justice been done, Louth would have won, and the McDonnell mistake quickly forgotten.

Formerly of St Fechin’s, the club with which his father, Johnny, won two senior championship medals after being part of the Leinster Championship-winning Louth under-21 side of 1978, McDonnell made his inter-county debut early in the 2010 season, lining out against Wicklow in the O’Byrne Cup.

Injury, of which he was a fairly constant companion throughout his career, prevented him from playing in the subsidiary competition final, which Louth lost to a DCU team coached by Dr Niall Moyna.

But by then, he was a regular on the National League team, contributing to the scoreline in all of the games.

He was on the right wing for the opening championship match with Longford, and in Louth’s best performance of the competition, the Navan 1-22 to 1-16 defeat of Kildare, came in with three points.

Injury prevented him from completing the semi-final with Westmeath, but he was in from the start for the ill-fated final.

McDonnell had an impressive record with his club, winning a championship medal in 2013, and adding three more in successive years, 2017 to ’19.

It’s said that as the 2017 season progressed, he wasn’t entirely happy with his colleagues’ attendance at training, and delivered an ultimatum, buck up or I’m out.

The response was good enough to get Blues to the final and win the title with a comprehensive win over Dundalk Gaels. His attempt to add another honour to his collection was foiled this year, Blues going down to Naomh Mairtín.

Andy McDonnell was greatly admired, a footballer who played to the rules, never giving anything but his best. He’s guaranteed a huge reception when he goes up to receive his medal at the reception for Leinster champions, just after Christmas.

Bevan Duffy will also be there. Here is another who has served his county well, fully deserving of figuring on this year’s championship team. He made his inter-county debut in 2014, and since then has made over 100 appearances.

Another who has had more than a fair share of injuries, he was pivotal in his St Fechin’s team winning the 2021 intermediate championship final, beating Cooley Kickhams in Clan Gael Park, a game which saw Rugby International, Rob Kearney, in the Kickhams colours as an unused sub.

Prior to that, he won a junior championship in 2011, and was given an inter-county start by Colin Kelly, coming on as a sub in an O’Byrne Cup match with UCD.

As the old gives way to the new, county team manager, Gavin Devlin, will have his work cut out to find players to match the dedication of McDonnell and Duffy.