Tyrrellspass clubman didn’t quite go out fully on his own terms, but the small print could have been worse
Egan didn’t quite go out fully on his own terms, but the small print could have been worse.
He made his first senior appearance in 2010 when only a teenager, going on to captain the team to Leinster final appearances in 2015 and 2016 – and remains the only Westmeath footballer to have led his team to two provincial deciders.Ger Egan made his senior debut with Westmeath in 2010. Photograph: Tommy Grealy/Inpho
“I wasn’t really able to enjoy it because I couldn’t do what I wanted to do,” he recalls. “My biggest hope ahead of a game was to try go in pain-free instead of trying to enjoy it.”“I was probably my own worst enemy,” he adds. “I maybe came back too quickly but nobody made me go out to play, those decisions were all in my own hands.”
“I wasn’t doing the training that others in the squad were doing. I’m not built like that, I’m either all in or all out. That probably helped my decision to retire.” “After the game, I broke down crying, I couldn’t control myself. I suppose it was just everything. Some of the lads were nearly laughing at me. It’s hard to put in words, but I knew it was likely to be my last day and I was just happy to be part of it. What happened afterwards with the crowds back home, it was unbelievable.”
But when Westmeath run out at Cusack Park on Sunday for the start of their 2023 league campaign, their former captain will be watching on from the terraces. He won’t be spending the day avoiding the reality. He’ll be there, shouting them on.“Somebody said to me, ‘you will find it hard stepping away because it is your identity’. But I wouldn’t like to think I’m only a Westmeath football player.
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