John Mullane has confirmed he is taking a break from inter-county hurling but he has denied reports that he is to announce his retirement.
It was reported on Monday that the Waterford hurling star was to take an indefinite break from the sport and after confirming his plans, the De La Salle clubman has revealed he is doing so in order to prolong his inter-county career.
Mullane feels the demands being placed on top players is getting too severe and he believes taking a step back and shortening the competitive year will help him continue on representing the Deise for a number of years to come.
"I wouldn’t consider what I’m doing as taking a break, it’s just stepping back from some of the training and doing my own thing. I sat down with the manager (Michael Ryan) a few weeks ago and I basically told him that I needed five to six weeks," Mullane told the Irish Examiner.
"When you get to my age — and I was 31 last Saturday — you have to have an understanding manager and thankfully I have that.
"Michael is after giving me the time I need, the permission to change my programme around to suit myself. I’m still training away in the gym, doing a bit of cardio. I’m not the kind of fella to abuse the body anyway but this gives me a bit of time, cuts down on a lot of the travelling, cuts down on some of the training.
"The way I’m looking at is, if I want to prolong my inter-county career then the more I can shorten the competitive year for myself the better it will be for me, for my family and for the team. Tony Browne is 39 this year and still in great shape because he looks after himself — I’m doing the same."
It had been suggested that Mullane was unhappy with the decision to appoint Michael Walsh as captain - Mullane himself was thought to be in the running - but the former All-Star insists that has nothing to do with his decision.
"I have no qualms whatsoever with Brick Walsh being appointed captain and I want that put on the record — it is absolutely not an issue," he clarified.
"It would have been a great honour to have been chosen but Brick was a fabulous captain in ’08 and ’09; he has my 100% backing and the same goes for the whole panel. We’re 100% behind him."