IT’S TEN YEARS since Roy O’Donovan expressed his disappointment at being overlooked for a pair of end-of-season friendlies with the Republic of Ireland.
O’Donovan had been prolific in front of goal for Cork City from the outset in the 2007 season, with his form earning him a move to Sunderland in the Premier League that August for a record League of Ireland transfer fee of €500,000.
But while Joe Lapira was being capped for Ireland against Ecuador in New York, O’Donovan was back home in Cork preparing for a game against Shamrock Rovers. He’s 32 now, but the striker still dreams of representing his country at senior level.
“It’s a huge goal of mine and it’s something that drives me,” he says. “It’s obviously not my decision to make. Am I a better player now than I was 10 years ago? Definitely. Have I got something to offer? I think so. Whether I get that opportunity or not remains to be seen.”
O’Donovan is now plying his trade in Australia. After scoring consistently in the A-League for Central Coast Mariners for two years, he was in demand at the end of last season. He transferred to Newcastle Jets and things have been going well so far.
With just three games played, O’Donovan has already netted on five occasions, including a hat-trick on his debut against his previous club. Upgrading to the Jets has paid dividends for the Corkman, who’s feeling the benefits of playing in a better side. They could move to the top of the table tomorrow with a win over Western Sydney Wanderers.
🎩🎩🎩 The first half was all about Roy O'Donovan. A hat-trick on his debut for @NewcastleJetsFC! #F3Derby
— Hyundai A-League (@ALeague) October 7, 2017
📽 @FOXFOOTBALL 501 pic.twitter.com/GFzaZP6sYp
“I’m getting better service,” he explains. “We’re built on a stronger foundation. We’ve got very experienced, quality players who have come in the door which is helping me on the pitch. We’ve also got a new manager who’s been a very successful coach in the past in this league.
“There’s a lot of positives since I came here. It’s a big club, a club going in the right direction and there are lofty ambitions. It’s been good for me so far but this is only the start.”
Along with his wife Ellen and 18-month-old son Alfie, Roy O’Donovan has enjoyed the lifestyle in New South Wales after leading a nomadic existence during his time in the UK, when he represented eight different clubs in seven years.
He knows that earning his living on the footballing periphery hinders his chances of achieving his objective of playing for Ireland, but the former Irish U21 international remains hopeful that he’ll register on the radar of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane — who signed him at Sunderland — if his goalscoring run continues.
“If you know your football, you can watch any level of football or any style of football and understand what you’re looking at,” O’Donovan says. “There are plenty of quality leagues around the world — it’s not just England — where you can pluck players from.
“We’re a small island, we’ve got a limited number of professional players in the game, so as a nation we have to maximise the player pool and use every advantage we can. That’d be my opinion. In fairness to Martin and Roy, by and large, they’ve done everything right since they’ve been in the job.
“I’m sure they do turn over every stone looking for the next person who could make an impact. I’d hope to be one of those. It remains to be seen but it’ll be in the back of my mind until the last ball I kick as a professional footballer.”
When asked if he’d consider a return to England, should the opportunity arise, if it increased his chances of international recognition, O’Donovan said: “It’s a bridge I would have to cross if I come to it. It would be easy for me to say one way or the other now, but I really don’t know how I would react or what would get my blood racing.
“At this moment in time I’m very happy where I am. I’m playing at really good standard of football, there’s a lot of top players in this league, a lot of current and former internationals, so it’s a good challenge. Every week I feel I’ve got something to sink my teeth into.
“The other side of the coin is that the lifestyle here is second to none. Having a young family, that makes a lot of sense for me as well. It’s nice to be able to enjoy the sunshine and the outdoors with them when I’m not training.”
O’Donovan, who has averaged a goal every two games in the A-League — 24 from 48 appearances – added: “I’ve always been confident in my own ability. Definitely in the last four or five seasons I’ve been able to get to a level of consistency, much of that being down to the fact that I’ve stayed fit — touch wood.
“I’ve been scoring goals and things have been going well. I still have that hunger in the pit of my stomach to achieve that goal of playing international football. I’d have no fear if it did come my way. But it’s somebody else’s role to weigh up the pros and cons of whether it’s the right option or not. I’d walk back home to play for Ireland if that’s what it took.”
