Brian Dooher has hailed the ‘pure honesty’ of Niall Sludden in a glowing tribute following the retirement of another member of Tyrone’s 2021 All-Ireland winning team.
Sludden has joined Ronan McNamee, Conor McKenna, and Rory Brennan in stepping away, bringing an end to an inter-county career that saw him make 116 appearances.
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“He gives real honest effort every day he goes out, that’s the big thing with Niall Sludden – pure honesty of effort every day,” said joint Red Hand joint-manager Dooher.
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“Training, no matter what, he just gives everything he has, a great lad to work with, great attitude and a great person to have around a group.
“He will be a loss, but there’s other boys there who will have to step up to that mantle.”
Picture Seamus Loughran
Dooher believes Sludden, despite a reduction in game-time during 2023, had more to offer Tyrone.
“We’re glad to have had him and we wish we still had him, in all honesty.
“Niall has been central to Tyrone football over the last ten years or more. He has been a great servant and it’s disappointing to see him go.
“He mulled it over for a long time, and it’s not an easy decision to make, but he had to make the decision for himself.”
“He has been a great lad to work with, as a person, as a footballer, everything, and he added a lot of value to our team.
“We saw the year he had in 2021. He wasn’t starting, but he put the head down and worked harder, worked his way back into the team and once he got his chance he took it, and never looked back from there.”
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The Dromore man also had to battle to finally win his place back in 2021, but finished the season as an All-Ireland winner and an All-Star.
And he went on to become the only Tyrone player ever to win an All-Ireland title and a county championship title in the same year.
“Everybody saw the season he had, winning and All-Ireland, he got an All-Star, and then he went on and won a county championship with Dromore.
“We wish him the best with his club season for the next few years. I can’t speak highly enough of him,” concluded Dooher.
