Graham Geraghty, the prolific Meath forward, has announced his retirement following the county's disappointing exit from the championship against Donegal in Croke Park last Sunday. His decision will be greeted with shock and regret, writes Keith Duggan

One of the most talented footballer players of his own or any generation, Geraghty looks set to join the club of luminaries who have quit the game while still in their prime.

At 28, Meath might have hoped to call upon the Senchelestown player for at least another four or five seasons. He explained his reasons to Brendan Cummins of LM/FM radio in the aftermath of the 1-13 to 0-14 loss to Donegal.

"He was naturally very despondent afterwards, but was clear enough in what he said. Mainly, he felt that the demands of playing for the county had simply become too much," said Cummins.

"I was obviously surprised and disappointed by his decision and, like many people, hope he might change his mind over time. There has been a very strong and dismayed reaction among all football fans in Meath."

The departure of Geraghty will extend the veil of pessimism that fell across the county after last year's collapse in the All-Ireland final against Galway. The shock of that loss was perhaps exaggerated by the fact that Meath had destroyed Kerry just weeks previously in the All-Ireland semi-final.

That evening, few would have believed that Meath would not win in Croke Park again for over a year. Sunday's defeat against Donegal visited upon the Royal County a third successive loss in Dublin.

"The game against Kerry was a freak game and nothing has gone right for the team since," noted Cummins, who's also Meath PRO.

"Definitely the team has been flat since that time, although there was a sense that they were coming back to form. But we were beaten by a Dublin team that was hungrier than we were and the same occurred against Donegal.

"You don't simply become bad over night and it is up to the people involved now to see if they still have the appetite for it."

Seán Boylan, Meath's revered manager, will have the remainder of the summer to decide if he wishes to lead the county for another season.

Boylan's ability to turn teams into consistent championship contenders has constantly inspired a mixture of admiration and envy throughout the country.

However, the Boylan formula has been dependent on the rich gifts of three or four truly wonderful players, among whom Geraghty often shone the brightest.

A smooth ball player and lethally fast over the first three or four steps, he was converted from an attacking wing back into a feared forward. In the last three seasons, he formed a potent and sometimes unstoppable strike force with Ollie Murphy.

With Murphy blunted by injury this season, a greater burden has fallen upon Geraghty and he has been the county's most distinguished player through what has been a terrible season by Meath standards.

Just four weeks ago, he enjoyed a typically audacious coup when he was flown home to Navan from a wedding reception at which he was best man only to score the winning goal in injury-time against Louth. He was then flown back to the wedding.

That cameo was the latest chapter of a colourful and sometimes controversial career. Geraghty has in the past admitted that he has allowed his frustrations to draw him into heated debates with match officials.

The flipside of that was that he felt - often with justification - that he was not given fair protection from defences desperate to keep him under wraps.

His darkest moment occurred during the International Rules tour of Australia in 1999 when a thoughtless remark made to a black player in a warm-up game sparked off a series of rows that were hurtful to both players and sporting organisations.

Geraghty apologised for the remarks and starred in the return visit by the Australians last year.

The Meath selectors will hope that Geraghty can be persuaded to change his mind before next season, as occurred when midfielder John McDermott quit only to return and play an influential role for the county last year.

However, Meath's astonishing success rate, with All-Ireland championships in 1996 and 1999 before last September's disappointment, means that Geraghty has crammed a lot of football into the last eight years of his life.

His retirement may have been a spontaneous reaction to Sunday's loss, but indicates a mindset predisposed to calling a stop.

If Sunday was his last inter-county game, Meath has lost its most unpredictable and naturally brilliant player and someone that might have led them through what looks to be a turbulent few years ahead.

His walking away will lend further substance to the argument that demands on modern players are becoming untenable.