SHANE O’DONNELL WILL line out in a Munster hurling final for the 10th time on Sunday week.
The twist in the tale will be the jersey he wears in Thurles that day against Ballygunner, a first in Éire Óg Ennis colours after nine appearances in provincial deciders with Clare sides.
O’Donnell’s first introduction was in the minor ranks with victory for a Clare minor team in 2011, before he lost the 2012 decider at that level. A pair of U21 Munster successes followed in 2013 and 2014.
His senior inter-county run has been defined byprovincial disappointment, five finals across 2017-18 and 2022-24 failing to yield a winners’ medal.
But in a county career decorated by All-Ireland triumphs, All-Star recognition and the Hurler of the Year accolade in 2024, the prospect of featuring at this stage at club level was never considered.
Sunday afternoon changed that, Éire Óg toughing it out in a winter battle that required extra-time to deliver an outcome against Tipperary’s Loughmore-Castleiney.
“It’s never been on my mind, to be honest.
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“It’s always been just getting the county (title), and now suddenly you’re in a Munster final and we’ll take a serious, serious shot at and we’ll see where we get to.
“It really is the stuff of dreams. I think six weeks ago now we won (in Clare), everything after this we’ve been talking about bonus territory, but when it gets closer to the game, you realise that it’s an opportunity that you may never get again.”
Shane O'Donnell of Éire Óg in action against Noel McGrath of Loughmore-Castleiney. Natasha Barton / INPHO
Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO
After being lavished with praise for a series of exceptional showings in 2024, this year was one of frustration at the top level. Injury stalled O’Donnell’s impact and Clare’s involvement was curtailed after they exited Munster early.
And yet deep into November, his hurling campaign continues.
“It’s a very strange year. It’s hard to kind of come to terms with it. It’s not your standard kind of end to end season, but it’s been brilliant. It’s been incredible.
“Obviously it’s been a tough start to the year. Clare didn’t go to plan, really, but the club journey has been exceptional and I’m glad it’s not over yet.”
Éire Óg’s breakthrough last month in the Clare final came after several close calls for the current group. No coincidence that they ended the 35-year wait for the Canon Hamilton trophy at a time when their squad is now populated by a bunch of rising stars.
“We’ve been able to bring on a lot of players who’ve performed exceptionally and no different (Sunday) you see James Dwyer and Tom Kavanagh getting on ball (and) running.
“That’s the difference in the last couple of years and this year in particular, we’ve had that panel to be able to bring on, they’ve made a huge difference.
“We’ve always been a second half team and we’ve been talking about just digging in first half and settle ourselves. It drags it into a tough battle, but we’ve excelled in those opportunities every day, this year.”
The presence of inter-county class in O’Donnell, who fired two points from play, and David Reidy also helps. It was Reidy’s extra-time burst that paved the way for Darren Moroney to net, while O’Donnell’s creativity set up Danny Russell for a goal in normal time.
Danny Russell of Éire Óg. Natasha Barton / INPHO
Natasha Barton / INPHO / INPHO
But there was no disputing the Éire Óg attacking hero, O’Donnell keen to highlight the outstanding showing by Danny Russell, the 35-year-old who shot 1-14 over the course of a marathon affair in Sixmilebridge.
“Incredible, I don’t know how he’s physically doing it.
“There’s a few lads out there now that I don’t know physically how they’re managing to go game to game, especially the dual players, but Danny’s incredible.
“He just comes up and performs every single day, and every time we need him, he seems to be there. That’s the person you want in those positions, and I don’t think it bothers him at all. I wouldn’t be able to stand up to it, but he seems to do it every time we need him.”
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Shane O'Donnell: 'It's never been on my mind, it really is the stuff of dreams'
SHANE O’DONNELL WILL line out in a Munster hurling final for the 10th time on Sunday week.
The twist in the tale will be the jersey he wears in Thurles that day against Ballygunner, a first in Éire Óg Ennis colours after nine appearances in provincial deciders with Clare sides.
O’Donnell’s first introduction was in the minor ranks with victory for a Clare minor team in 2011, before he lost the 2012 decider at that level. A pair of U21 Munster successes followed in 2013 and 2014.
His senior inter-county run has been defined byprovincial disappointment, five finals across 2017-18 and 2022-24 failing to yield a winners’ medal.
But in a county career decorated by All-Ireland triumphs, All-Star recognition and the Hurler of the Year accolade in 2024, the prospect of featuring at this stage at club level was never considered.
Sunday afternoon changed that, Éire Óg toughing it out in a winter battle that required extra-time to deliver an outcome against Tipperary’s Loughmore-Castleiney.
“It’s never been on my mind, to be honest.
“It’s always been just getting the county (title), and now suddenly you’re in a Munster final and we’ll take a serious, serious shot at and we’ll see where we get to.
“It really is the stuff of dreams. I think six weeks ago now we won (in Clare), everything after this we’ve been talking about bonus territory, but when it gets closer to the game, you realise that it’s an opportunity that you may never get again.”
After being lavished with praise for a series of exceptional showings in 2024, this year was one of frustration at the top level. Injury stalled O’Donnell’s impact and Clare’s involvement was curtailed after they exited Munster early.
And yet deep into November, his hurling campaign continues.
“It’s a very strange year. It’s hard to kind of come to terms with it. It’s not your standard kind of end to end season, but it’s been brilliant. It’s been incredible.
“Obviously it’s been a tough start to the year. Clare didn’t go to plan, really, but the club journey has been exceptional and I’m glad it’s not over yet.”
Éire Óg’s breakthrough last month in the Clare final came after several close calls for the current group. No coincidence that they ended the 35-year wait for the Canon Hamilton trophy at a time when their squad is now populated by a bunch of rising stars.
“We’ve been able to bring on a lot of players who’ve performed exceptionally and no different (Sunday) you see James Dwyer and Tom Kavanagh getting on ball (and) running.
“That’s the difference in the last couple of years and this year in particular, we’ve had that panel to be able to bring on, they’ve made a huge difference.
“We’ve always been a second half team and we’ve been talking about just digging in first half and settle ourselves. It drags it into a tough battle, but we’ve excelled in those opportunities every day, this year.”
The presence of inter-county class in O’Donnell, who fired two points from play, and David Reidy also helps. It was Reidy’s extra-time burst that paved the way for Darren Moroney to net, while O’Donnell’s creativity set up Danny Russell for a goal in normal time.
But there was no disputing the Éire Óg attacking hero, O’Donnell keen to highlight the outstanding showing by Danny Russell, the 35-year-old who shot 1-14 over the course of a marathon affair in Sixmilebridge.
“Incredible, I don’t know how he’s physically doing it.
“There’s a few lads out there now that I don’t know physically how they’re managing to go game to game, especially the dual players, but Danny’s incredible.
“He just comes up and performs every single day, and every time we need him, he seems to be there. That’s the person you want in those positions, and I don’t think it bothers him at all. I wouldn’t be able to stand up to it, but he seems to do it every time we need him.”
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