Former Dublin captain Colin Moran has been forced to retire from all levels of football due a hip injury. The 28-year-old has struggled with the problem for several months, and took the decision to retire after experiencing intense pain after a comeback appearance for his club Ballyboden St. Enda's last weekend. Moran, who played for the Dublin minors in 1997 and '98, captained the Dubs to Leinster senior glory in 2006 and 2007, though he was plagued by injury during the first year of his captaincy. He won five Leinster senior championship medals and also captained Dublin at under 21 level as well as representing his country in the International Rules series. Noted for his versatility, Moran featured regularly in defence and attack under former Dublin manager Paul Caffreey, who has led the tributes to him. "Colin may not always have got the credit he deserved outside the Dublin set-up, but I can tell you he was one of the real leaders in our camp," Caffrey said. "When I got to talk to young players or underage teams he is a man I always mention. His attention to detail and absolute dedication meant he was a real model and I couldn't praise him highly enough." Tweet

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