Another massive blow for Donegal as a fourth All-Ireland winner leaves panel

Anthony Thompson will join a number of legends to have withdrawn their services from Donegal this off-season.

The 2012 All-Ireland winner has opted out of the inter-county scene for at least the start of 2017. The Glenties man has been playing for Donegal for a decade now and has been the perfect model of Jim McGuinness' success but the half back, who donned the number 10 jersey a few times under Rory Gallagher, has stepped away for the time being, reportedly unable to meet the commitment required. It means that the men from the Hills are going into the new campaign shorn of a number of superstars. They've lost three All-Ireland winners already between the end of last season and the start of the league.

• Colm McFadden retired after the 2016 quarter-final defeat to Dublin.
• Eamon McGee hung up the inter-county jersey too after all the service he had given.
• Leo McLoone hasn't made himself available for selection.
• Anthony Thompson joins them on the sidelines, but it is understood that he could still be recalled at a later date.

And they're not the only ones.

• Odhrán Mac Niallais has opted out on a season-long break for 2017.
• Paul Durcan left the panel the year before as he went to the middle east.

It leaves gaping holes for Rory Gallagher to try and fill. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/763681791760748544 Thompson's decision is believed to have been influenced by work. Last season, the engineer was flying in and of Essex, where he had gained employment, and the demands of upholding inter-county training on top of that are incredible. He could still feature for Donegal later in the year and, a man with his tenacity and energy, a man with his footballing brain and raw grit should and would always be welcomed back to the camp. His lung-bursting runs up the field helped transform Donegal. His slick hand-passing, his incessantly correct decisions and his relentless eagerness to get back and bully men with his strength were one of the hallmarks of a county who rose from the ashes and went on to win three Ulster titles and a Sam Maguire from relatively nowhere. Anthony Thompson is a foot soldier. One of the best of them. It'll take a good man to replace him.