CLARE’S HOPES OF regaining the All-Ireland senior title have been boosted by the news that Hurler of the Year Shane O’Donnell is aiming to play some part in this year’s championship.
Manager Brian Lohan initially stated in February that the Ennis attacker would miss the entire season after surgery on a labrum tear in his right shoulder.
That operation took place in early February and comes with a typical recovery period of around six months.
But speaking this afternoon at the announcement that Bord Gáis Energy is an official sponsor of the 2025 All-Ireland SHC, O’Donnell said he’s currently working off a timeline of being back in four to eight weeks.
The 31-year-old three-in-a-row All-Star said he will have more clarity on the situation by the end of this month following further consultation with physios.
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Clare, relegated from Division 1A of the league, will play Cork this Sunday in the Munster SHC and will close their group campaign on 25 May against Limerick, a game that O’Donnell could yet have some involvement in if things go his way.
Bord Gáis Energy ambassadors and hurling stars Lee Chin of Wexford, left, and Shane O’Donnell of Clare with Kelsi Noonan, aged 5, and Logan Clifford Hegarty, aged 6, at Croke Park in Dublin today. David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE
David Fitzgerald / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
“I don’t have a very solid answer for that really, I don’t have any dates or anything like that,” said O’Donnell of an exact return date. “It’s coming along well but I’m still a bit away to be honest. So I don’t have a date that I can give you.
“I’m still kind of working with physios and stuff like that and I’m actually coming to the point where in the next week or so, I should be able to hammer out and understand where it’ll be. But it’ll be anywhere between four and eight weeks I’d say still in it, so yeah, that’s kind of the timeline I’m looking at.”
O’Donnell said that initially being ruled out by Lohan was based on the best information they had at the time. The two-time All-Ireland winner was due to miss the league anyhow, in line with the agreement of recent seasons with management to return to activity around championship time.
He said he has no great fears around getting up to speed with his stick work when he is cleared to resume full training and games.
The injury was sustained in last year’s All-Ireland final defeat of Cork and after aggravating it in club training months later, he said he was left with no choice but to go under the knife.
“I went to a consultant and she was like, ‘If you want to play next year then you’re going to need surgery’,” he revealed.
“Basically that was the conversation. Then I had to make a decision with that information.”
O’Donnell said rumours that he has already trained with Clare were wide of the mark.
“I was doing physio in Dublin,” he said.
“I mean, if you consider that training, then maybe I was training but, no, it wasn’t with the panel or anything.”
As for any long-term issues with the shoulder, O’Donnell, who previously suffered a serious concussion in 2021 which affected his hurling career, said he doesn’t have any worries.
“There shouldn’t be,” he said.
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“That’s why I have to take the time it takes now and that’s why I have to do exactly what the physio tells me to do. But there shouldn’t be any long-lasting impact after I actually get back out there.
“That’s where the caution is, that you don’t want to be in a situation that you could re-injure, or leave yourself weaker on one side, or not able to do certain movements or things like that. That’s what the (recovery) time frame is for.”
*****
Bord Gáis Energy, Ireland’s leading home energy management and services provider, today proudly announced the continuation of its sponsorship of the 2025 GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, reinforcing a landmark 16-year partnership with the GAA and reaffirming its commitment to hurling communities across the country.
This year, Bord Gáis Energy is welcoming two icons of the game – Wexford’s Lee Chin and Clare’s Shane O’Donnell – as ambassadors for the 2025 championship season.The announcement also marks the return of #ThatsHurlingEnergy – a campaign that captures the heartbeat of Ireland’s fastest field sport, and the electric passion it inspires in fans, players and communities alike.
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Shane O'Donnell aiming to play some part for Clare in this year's hurling championship
CLARE’S HOPES OF regaining the All-Ireland senior title have been boosted by the news that Hurler of the Year Shane O’Donnell is aiming to play some part in this year’s championship.
Manager Brian Lohan initially stated in February that the Ennis attacker would miss the entire season after surgery on a labrum tear in his right shoulder.
That operation took place in early February and comes with a typical recovery period of around six months.
But speaking this afternoon at the announcement that Bord Gáis Energy is an official sponsor of the 2025 All-Ireland SHC, O’Donnell said he’s currently working off a timeline of being back in four to eight weeks.
The 31-year-old three-in-a-row All-Star said he will have more clarity on the situation by the end of this month following further consultation with physios.
Clare, relegated from Division 1A of the league, will play Cork this Sunday in the Munster SHC and will close their group campaign on 25 May against Limerick, a game that O’Donnell could yet have some involvement in if things go his way.
“I don’t have a very solid answer for that really, I don’t have any dates or anything like that,” said O’Donnell of an exact return date. “It’s coming along well but I’m still a bit away to be honest. So I don’t have a date that I can give you.
“I’m still kind of working with physios and stuff like that and I’m actually coming to the point where in the next week or so, I should be able to hammer out and understand where it’ll be. But it’ll be anywhere between four and eight weeks I’d say still in it, so yeah, that’s kind of the timeline I’m looking at.”
O’Donnell said that initially being ruled out by Lohan was based on the best information they had at the time. The two-time All-Ireland winner was due to miss the league anyhow, in line with the agreement of recent seasons with management to return to activity around championship time.
He said he has no great fears around getting up to speed with his stick work when he is cleared to resume full training and games.
The injury was sustained in last year’s All-Ireland final defeat of Cork and after aggravating it in club training months later, he said he was left with no choice but to go under the knife.
“I went to a consultant and she was like, ‘If you want to play next year then you’re going to need surgery’,” he revealed.
“Basically that was the conversation. Then I had to make a decision with that information.”
O’Donnell said rumours that he has already trained with Clare were wide of the mark.
“I was doing physio in Dublin,” he said.
“I mean, if you consider that training, then maybe I was training but, no, it wasn’t with the panel or anything.”
As for any long-term issues with the shoulder, O’Donnell, who previously suffered a serious concussion in 2021 which affected his hurling career, said he doesn’t have any worries.
“There shouldn’t be,” he said.
“That’s why I have to take the time it takes now and that’s why I have to do exactly what the physio tells me to do. But there shouldn’t be any long-lasting impact after I actually get back out there.
“That’s where the caution is, that you don’t want to be in a situation that you could re-injure, or leave yourself weaker on one side, or not able to do certain movements or things like that. That’s what the (recovery) time frame is for.”
*****
Bord Gáis Energy, Ireland’s leading home energy management and services provider, today proudly announced the continuation of its sponsorship of the 2025 GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, reinforcing a landmark 16-year partnership with the GAA and reaffirming its commitment to hurling communities across the country.
This year, Bord Gáis Energy is welcoming two icons of the game – Wexford’s Lee Chin and Clare’s Shane O’Donnell – as ambassadors for the 2025 championship season.The announcement also marks the return of #ThatsHurlingEnergy – a campaign that captures the heartbeat of Ireland’s fastest field sport, and the electric passion it inspires in fans, players and communities alike.
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