Neil McManus has brought the curtain down on his 16-year Antrim senior hurling career.

The news was widely expected after the 35-year-old sharpshooter had previously indicated that this would be his last season in a Saffron jersey.

He leaves the scene knowing that Antrim will once again be playing at the highest level in 2024. Indeed, he defied medical advice to play in the Ulster side's crucial Leinster SHC win over Westmeath last month which preserved their Liam MacCarthy Cup status.

"I go very happy in the knowledge of where the Antrim team are now," the prolific Cushendall clubman said on BBC Sounds' The GAA Social podcast.

"They are competing now with the teams who are serious about the knockout end of the championship.

"There are a whole myriad of reasons why I knew this would be my last year. You don't ever want to outstay your welcome - not that I was ever really in danger of doing that.

"But there's more stuff going on and I'm busier than I've ever been with things outside hurling. I want to spend a wee bit more time with my family as well.

"There's a nine-month-old child in the house as well which is great."

One of the finest hurlers ever to come out of Ulster, McManus made his senior debut in 2007 and went on to two win Joe McDonagh Cups in 2020 and 2022 along with a string of Ulster SHC titles. 

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