‘You’re like, ‘Who the f**k is that little f***er?’ and off you go again’ – Jackie Tyrrell on why he plays junior hurling

In the first of our vintage veteran series, the Kilkenny legend reveals how dropping down the grades has given him a new lease of life

Jackie Tyrrell (right) with fellow James Stephens clubman Eoin Larkin (left) and their former Kilkenny teammate JJ Delaney during their recent junior quarter-final clash with Fenians

Jackie Tyrrell thought he had hung up his hurl when he called time on club duty two years ago, with the completion of the Dublin Marathon his primary sporting focus for 2024, but detaching from the game you love and adore is not as simple as that.

Tyrrell “had enough of it”, having started many moons ago as an 18-year-old, but then the call came a few months back to give a dig out for the James Stephens Junior ‘D’ side and a 25th year playing adult hurling for ‘The Village’ commenced.