According to reports from a media event in Dublin today, legendary Galway and Portumna hurler Joe Canning has retired from intercounty hurling.
The news is somehow both surprising and expected. Canning hold told media outlets earlier today he didn't plan to retire but at an event for Bord Gais Energy today, he reportedly called it quits. After Galway lost to Waterford on Saturday, Joe's brother Ollie Canning hinted on Sky Sports that Joe might be considering hanging up his boots.
Canning made his Galway debut in 2008. He'll turn 33 in October and after breaking Henry Shefflin's record as all-time leading scorer in the Championship, Canning has achieved pretty much everything he can in the game.
Canning famously inspired Galway to a longed-for Liam MacCarthy in 2017, with his winning point against Tipp in the semifinal arguably hurling's greatest ever score.
He also won four club All-Irelands with Portumna, the first in 2006 when he was just 17. He scored 1-6 in that final.
Canning's Galway also lost three All-Ireland finals and it's a regret of Galway supporters that the county didn't win more silverware during Canning's remarkable career. It's unlikely the county - and perhaps the country - will ever produce a hurler as skillful as Joe.
SEE ALSO: Remembering That Joe Canning Semi-Final Of 2017
