“These two passions in my life have complimented each other brilliantly.”
They Royals captain, Shane McEntee, will no longer be available for his county or club for the remainder of the 2022 season.
The Irish Lieutenant will be deployed by the Irish Defence Forces for his first oversea mission, meaning that he has had to leave the panel.
Manager, Andy McEntee, is also the father of the St. Peter’s Dunboyne man, will now need to find a replacement for the half back.
McEntee played for his club last week, and was also in the half back line in the county’s drawn game against Offaly in the Allianz National League.
The Meath captain will be travelling on a peacekeeping tour to Mali, and took to social media to confirm his departure.
Best wishes to our club senior footballer and Meath senior football captain Shane McEntee who played his last game today before leaving for a peacekeeping tour of duty in Mali with the Irish Defence Forces 🇮🇪
All at the club wish Shane a safe trip ☘️☘️ pic.twitter.com/gA1LLpiPLQ— St. Peter's Dunboyne GAA (@DunboyneGAA) March 5, 2022
“Last Saturday marked my last outing on the football field for the time being,” he announced.
“It has been an incredible honour to captain my county over the last 12 months and while it won’t be easy watching on from a far, I am extremely excited about deploying on my first overseas mission with the Irish Defence Forces.
“These two passions in my life have complimented each other brilliantly, with many of the lessons learned in one field being equally applicable to the other.
“I look forward to drawing on these experiences and gaining many more over the next 6 months.”