Rory McCarthy says there is no chance of him returning to bolster Wexford's efforts for a worthwhile assault on the Leinster hurling Championship. By Paddy Hickey The versatile ace didn't figure in John Meyler's side during the National League campaign, but there was some hope that he might have a change of heart for the provincial competition. McCarthy's decision means that Meyler will be without four key players for the Leinster opener against Dublin or Westmeath on June 14. The St Martin's clubman joins centre-back Declan Ruth and corner-forward Michael 'Mitch' Jordan, who have also retired, and wing-back Richie Kehoe who is spending the summer in Boston. "I've been playing with Wexford seniors since 1994, and so it's time for me to call it a day," said McCarthy, who an All-Ireland senior medal in 1996. "The demands on inter-county players increase all the time, but hopefully I'll have a few more years left of playing with the club." Like any other player, 1996 All-Star McCarthy says he would like to have won more trophies in his inter-county career, but he's still reasonably satisfied with his level of achievement during his 14 years of endeavour in the Wexford jersey. "Admittedly, it would have been great to win more than one All-Ireland medal", he pointed out. "But when you consider that Wexford have won just seven senior hurling All-Irelands in total, there have been a lot of Wexford players who don't have an All-Ireland medal to their name. "So I feel privileged to have an All-Ireland medal, and also to have won three Leinster medals. "It was also a great thrill to beat Kilkenny in the first round of the Leinster Championship in 2004, when Mick Jacob scored a fabulous goal just before the final whistle," added McCarthy, who won a Leinster Colleges' senior football medal with St Peter's Wexford in 1992 before losing to Seamus Moynihan-powered St Brendan's, Killarney in the All-Ireland semi-final. On his biggest disappointment, the Piercetown native says: "We had a great chance of getting to the All-Ireland final in 2001, but unfortunately we didn't take it in the semi-final against Tipperary. "Just before 'Mitch' Jordan scored the equalising point to bring the game to a replay, I had a chance of a point but sent the ball wide." On Wexford's future, McCarthy says: "There is great work being done at minor level, and there are some very talented young players coming through the system. "But it's going to take these lads two or three years to mature, and it won't be easy to find adequate replacements for the likes of Declan Ruth and 'Mitch' Jordan." On the club scene, the former Wexford ace says: "Hopefully, we'll have a good run in the county championship this year. In the last two years, we've reached the semi-finals, and we're lucky to have county lads like Diarmuid Lyng, Eoin Quigley and Barry Lambert." Tweet

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