Mayo GAA's Rob Hennelly has revealed he and wife Orla Lorenza will welcome their first child this spring.
The goalkeeper still plays club football in Raheny, Dublin, where he is based, but decided to step back from his inter-county career with Mayo at the end of 2024.
Rob enjoyed great success with Mayo, competing in six All-Ireland finals during the course of his career, but his commute and upcoming birth of his first child meant a decision had to be made.
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"I think for me as a keeper it wasn't physical, I physically felt I could keep playing, mentally and all that," Rob said.
"It was more the toll it was taking on other aspects of my life. I have been travelling up and down to Mayo for 10/15 years to get to training."
"I love living in Dublin so it was something I was more than willing to do but at some point, it was starting to take its toll," the footballer told Oliver Callan on RTE Radio 1.
"Obviously we have a child coming at the end of March, so that was going to put a stifler on it. So it was better to make the decision now than in a couple of months time."
Rob and Orla announced they were expecting back in November.
Sharing a series of snaps, including pictures of a baby scan, Orla wrote on Instagram: "Mocktails for now - 19 weeks".
"Awhhh Orla! Huge congrats to you both, such exciting times," commented influencer Louise Cooney.
"Congratulations gorgeous," added Lauren Arthurs while Rob Lipsett wrote: "Delighted for ye!"
2024 was a busy year for Rob and Orla. Back in May, they moved into their new home in Dublin, which was previously owned by Orla's great great grandparents.
She told RSVP Live at the time: "I saw it on Daft, and I had sent it to my mam. She just told my Granny and she said 'oh, that's the house my grandparents lived in' - so that was a surprise.
"My great great grandparents moved in in 1901. [My grandmother] has lovely memories of it - she herself lived down the road with her parents."
The exciting news for Rob and Orla comes after their winter wedding two years ago. The couple tied the knot at Powerscourt Hotel in Co. Wicklow, two weeks before Christmas back in 2022.
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