Ballybay Monaghan Ireland

Last week Drew Wylie announced his inter county retirement after over a decade of loyal service to the Farney jersey. Ballybay Pearse Brothers paid the following well deserved tribute to Drew on their Facebook page - Almost 13 years to the day since he made his debut for Monaghan in the Mckenna Cup v UUJ, Drew Wylie has announced his retirement from inter county football. Drew will go down as one of the greatest Monaghan footballers of all time.
A 3 time All Star nominee who would have surely won at least one award if his fellow players were voting instead of the genteel cabal of journalists, who play checks and balances instead of picking the best player in each position.
But Drew didn't need official recognition. He is without doubt one of the most beloved footballers in Monaghan's history. A man who let his ability do the talking got everything he could out of his career.
An example of this is when the County Board got the players to ring older fans during Covid, Drew was the most requested player, by a mile. The bigger the stage, the better he performed. He made his Championship debut in 2012 and was fixture for the next number of years. It is no coincidence that Monaghan had their most successful modern era when Drew became a regular.
He was outstanding in the 2013 and 2015 Ulster Finals and was probably Monaghan's best player in the 2018 semi final v Tyrone, his point from a tight angle in the dying minutes almost gave Monaghan a draw. He was an absolute colossus for Monaghan and often put the team on his back to get them over the line. Drew Wylie is an example for any young footballer to follow. He was tough and hard but never dirty but most of all, he could play. His point off his left foot v Kildare in the 2014 was a sight to behold.
His last start for Monaghan was v Dublin in the epic NFL game last March and Drew performed brilliantly in shutting down Dean Rock to help Monaghan stay in Division One for another year.
So Drew left at the top, where he spent most of his career. In future, whenever there is a discussion on the greatest Monaghan 15 of all time, Drew will not be in the conversation, he will be on the team. Congratulations Drew, a gentleman, a warrior and a credit to his family and his club.