Women's hockey: Ireland's Catriona Carey, 28, made the decision to draw a line under her international career last week after earning 72 caps and playing for Ireland over a period of eight years, including the 2005 Dublin tournament, when Ireland hosted the European Championships at Belfield.
The talented player will continue to play club hockey in the Hermes midfield, having been with the club since she broke on to the scene as a 16-year-old schoolgirl. Carey played her early hockey with the Loreto school in Kilkenny and marked her early teenage years with Hermes by winning an Irish Senior Cup medal with them when they beat Muckross in what was their first national cup win in 1999. Hermes have since won two more Irish cup finals.
"It has been a very hard personal decision to make but I have decided to retire from the international hockey team, due to work pressures and living so far from all regional and national training sessions," said the player.
"My greatest highlight was playing in front of our home crowd in the 2005 Europeans in Dublin. The commitment given by the current Irish players is phenomenal . . . I hope sometime soon this very talented Irish team will get the rewards that are highly deserved."
What may disturb Irish hockey is that Carey, now at the peak of her career, is yet another Irish international player who feels compelled to retire somewhat prematurely. Many top Irish players have called early ends to their careers, going back to goalkeeper Sandra O'Gorman, who retired soon after being named as the top goalkeeper at a world cup. Former Irish captain Sarah Kelleher also retired in her 20s.
Carey, a sister of Kilkenny hurling star DJ, played under former national coach Riet Kuper for her entire international career.
"For Irish hockey it is a pity that such a talented and sparkling player is retiring. Catriona brought something different into the game and was able to surprise many opponents with her actions. She has a pleasant personality together with a strong willpower and was a valued member in the squad. She will be missed on the international hockey scene," said Kuper.
