All-Ireland winner Carlin retires from Tyrone

By Arthur Sullivan

Long-serving Tyrone defender Dermot Carlin has retired from inter-county football, Tyrone GAA have confirmed.

Carlin, a member of the Killyclogher St Mary's club, has been a member of the Tyrone senior football panel since 2002, and he won All-Ireland senior football medals in 2003 and 2008.

Carlin's retirement leaves Seán Cavanagh as the only player left in the Tyrone senior football panel who was part of the county's first ever All-Ireland winning squad in 2003.

Carlin was full-back on the Tyrone team that won the All-Ireland minor title in 2001, and within two years he had a senior medal to add to his collection, although he did not feature in the final victory over Armagh.

Carlin was not a member of the panel in 2005 when Tyrone won their second All-Ireland title, but he was an unused substitite in 2008 when Tyrone defeated Kerry to win their third All-Ireland title in the space of six seasons.

Although not a regular starter for Tyrone until the latter years of his inter-county career, Carlin was a highly valued member of Harte's panel over the last decade. As well as his two All-Ireland senior medals, Carlin won a league medal in 2003 and Ulster senior medals in 2003, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Injuries have taken their toll on Carlin in recent seasons, and he did not see any game time for Tyrone in 2015. His last championship appearance for the Red Hands was in the 2013 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Mayo.

It was actually reported in January that Carlin had been dropped from the panel alongside others such as Joe McMahon, Mark Donnelly, Kyle Coney and Plunkett Kane, but then some days later it was announced that Carlin and McMahon were simply taking time away from the panel with a view to returning later in the year.

Carlin's confirmed departure now does add to a season of considerable flux in Harte's panel, however. Donnelly, Coney and Kane departed in January, while Shea McGuigan, PJ Lavery, Paddy McNeice, Dwayne Quinn and Emmett McKenna all left the panel following the county's relegation to Division II.

Tyrone are still in the hunt this season however. They defeated Limerick in Round 1B of the Qualifiers last Sunday, and will host Meath in Round 2B on the weekend of July 11/12.

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