Dublin GAA corner-back Eric Lowndes has left the county panel ahead of this year’s All-Ireland Championship.
The defender is understood to have left the panel prior to Dublin’s win over Wexford in the Leinster Senior Football Championship quarter-final.
The St. Peregrine’s player is a seven-time All-Ireland champion with the side under both Jim Gavin and Dessie Farrell.
Lowndes featured in every league match for Farrell’s Dubs this year, making one start.
Although he was not a consistent starter throughout his time with the inter-county team, he was a mainstay within the squad and a cult figure among fans of the Dubs.
Wishing the very best of luck to Eric Lowndes who has left the Dublin panel. Eric, a valuable member of the senior panel since 2013, has an incredible 7 All Irelands titles, 8 Leinsters and 6 NFL medals to his name. Thank you for the memories Eric. 💙 pic.twitter.com/Kjtaw7m8T0
— Dublin GAA Fans (@DubsGAAFans) July 13, 2021
Lowndes broke through in 2013 alongside Paul Mannion, Ciaran Kilkenny and Jack McCaffrey.
However, while the other three started some of Dublin’s biggest games in the 21st century, the 27-year-old rarely stood in the spotlight.
He made his inter-county debut in 2015 and last appeared in the Championship in the 2020 Leinster final against this week’s opposition Meath.
The news now leaves Dessie Farrell with a headache as he prepares for this weekend with depleted defensive options.
On top of Lowndes’ departure, there are doubts over the fitness of John Small, Jonny Cooper, Eoin Murchan and Robbie McDaid ahead of the 2020 Leinster final rematch with Meath.
The latter went off in the Wexford fixture after sustaining a shoulder injury in the clash and this would have opened up a spot in the side for Lowndes if he was still on the panel.
Tom Lahiff, who replaced McDaid against Wexford, is expected to fill that void once again this weekend instead.
The St. Peregrine man’s departure can be added to a long list of players who have left the Dublin panel or retired since the resignation of Jim Gavin following Dublin’s record-breaking fifth All-Ireland in a row in 2019.
Cian O’Sullivan is the last player to officially announce his departure while Stephen Cluxton is currently not involved with the panel.
