Former Waterford star Dan Shanahan believes Tipperary will struggle to replace Lar Corbett.

The Thurles Sarsfields sharpshooter stunned the hurling world by announcing his inter-county retirement at the age of 30 on Monday, citing work commitments as the recent behind his decision.

Shanahan, who retired at the end of the 2010 season, told the Out in Front podcast: "He is irreplaceable.

"He is a goal scorer and goals win games. But his hand-passing and his movement is unbelievable. He had unbelievable pace. The one thing, it was never about Lar it was always about Tipperary. If there was a fella in a better position, he would give the ball to him. He was their main man.

"Ultimately he is a natural goal-scorer and they are hard to get so he will be a big loss to Tipperary."

The 2007 Hurler of the Year added: "Inter-county hurling is almost a professional game now. There are just unbelievable demands and you are talking nearly five or six nights of the week now.

"Lar has his own business, a pub, and you have to be there to run something like that. The one thing I noticed over the last few years is players are retiring younger. I know Tony Browne is still playing, but he is a one-off and so is Padraic Joyce. But nearly every fella who reaches 30 is thinking of retiring." Tweet

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