The 2024 Hurler of the Year has flirted with calling it quits in recent years as he plans to further his career overseas
Shane O’Donnell is kicking the retirement can down the road once again as he is set to commit to Clare once again in 2026.
The 2024 Hurler of the Year has flirted with calling it quits in recent years as he plans to further his career overseas but, having won an All-Ireland and enjoyed such a spectacular season last year, he felt duty-bound to come back and defend the title.
It didn’t work out as O’Donnell’s season was severely curtailed by a shoulder injury and Clare crashed out at the earliest possible stage of the Championship after suffering relegation in the League.
O’Donnell is currently on the crest of a wave having won a first county title with his club, Éire Óg, who completed the senior double in Clare this year, and has lingering injury issues around his groin and shoulder to iron out but, beyond all of that, he will be at Banner boss Brian Lohan’s disposal again.
“I think the intention is for me to go again basically,” said O’Donnell at the launch of the AIB Club Championships.
“I’m sure you’re kind of frustrated with me hemming and hawing about this publicly about whether I do or don’t go each year.
“But I think it’s about physically whether I can get myself right at this stage. I think I’ve really managed to accumulate a lot of injuries this year. I’ve probably come back into the campaign a bit undercooked after the shoulder surgery, after chasing that back. It’s been tough to stay on the pitch.
“If I can clear those injuries in the off-season and put myself in a position to actually physically be in a place that I can survive the entire year, then my intention is to go again if Brian still wants me. So, yeah, that’s kind of where I’m at with it.”
Clare’s 2025 season being such a blowout was a significant factor in the 31-year-old deciding to row back on retirement for another 12 months.
“Yeah, there’s a number of factors but yeah, definitely this year was the intention to wrap up And I think there was a number of us in the boat that we had explicitly said to each other that this year was going to be the last year.
“I think when it came to that abstract concept of retirement turning into a very concrete actual retirement, it became hard, especially given the year that we had.
“I think then my personal circumstances with the timeline that we’d expected to move abroad has just pushed a little bit to the maybe latter end of next year so it kind of just means that I’m in a position that I can actually, will be around for summer basically.
“So it’s kind of a combination of things but there definitely is that point of actually making that step after having such a tough year and spending very little time on the pitch with Clare. It’s just very hard to make that kind of jump and I feel like I can still offer something for the last year that I’m around.”
Beyond that, Australia beckons for him and his girlfriend, Niamh.
“That’s the plan but I think initially the rationale was to go to America and that would have been the most sensible from a career perspective for both myself and my girlfriend but I think just the situation in America at the moment has probably taken the veneer off that a small bit and just is not something I maybe want to dive straight into.
“But the other side of that was just to be able to move abroad and to live abroad and to experience that kind of lifestyle so Australia is definitely something that we’d be really interested in. Yeah, that’s the idea that this time next year very roughly is when we’d be looking to go.”
Lohan has signed up for a further three years, having already served six seasons as manager, and O’Donnell is hoping that the playing group will largely remain intact, including stalwart John Conlon, who will be 37 by the time the 2026 Allianz League gets underway.
“I want John, I want them all to play again, that’s definitely what I want so I’m not 100% sure, I think the general consensus is that most of the players will be back obviously when push comes to shove and you actually have to get back and get back in training.
“One or two may kind of step away but at the moment I think as an overall the consensus is that the group are going again to try and be involved in the panel but yeah obviously there’ll be individual decisions that may kind of change that but at a very high level that’s the approach.”
#Clare #star #Shane #ODonnell #opens #retirement #plans #ahead #season
