Dublin hurling sharpshooter Donal Burke has said you 'can't fault' his county team-mates who are set to step away from the set-up for the 2023 season.
It was reported by The Irish Independent that Liam Rushe, Cian O'Callaghan and Chris Crummey are going travelling and will be unavailable to new boss Micheál Donoghue next season.
"They've given brilliant service to Dublin hurling so you can't really fault them for making that [decision]," said Burke, who was nominated for an All-Star this season.
"There's more to life than hurling at the end of the day so you can't be holding grudges against them. They've been absolute stalwarts for the last 10 years. Delighted for them now that they can put their personal lives first which sometimes has to be done."
However, there is better news that Eoghan O'Donnell will be returning to the hurling panel, after he featured for the Dublin footballers in 2022.
"I don't think that he was ever [going to stay with the footballers]," Burke said. "He told us anyway before that it was never in doubt. So he's a great addition always to have him."
Donoghue, the 2017 All-Ireland winning manager, is building for the new season in the capital, but he has left the players to concentrate on their club action for now.
"It's a great appointment for Dublin hurling. I'm sure he has a plan in place," Burke stated.
They will be looking to make forward strides in 2023, after they tamely exited from this year's championship despite a promising start.
"It was definitely disappointing because I was off for the summer studying, so I was planning on being a full-time hurler basically," says the Na Fianna man.
"Especially the way the campaign started, we had a great win against Wexford and we thought the (All-Ireland) quarter-finals or even coming out of Leinster was definitely on the cards.
"It was very disappointing then to go out the way we did. I took a break after that to rebuild and then it was onto the club then."