Hurler of the Year Shane O'Donnell says training almost all year round is simply a non-runner for him and believes it would suit more players to sit out the Allianz Hurling League.
The All-Ireland champions get their league campaign up and running against Kilkenny on 26 January, but the decorated forward will not be part of manager Brian Lohan’s early season plans.
The past two season the Éire Óg Ennis forward has sat out the league – last year he marked his return in the final defeat to Kilkenny – and has reaped the benefits, with back-to-back All-Stars to go with this year’s top individual award.
The 30-year-old initially sought to the time off due to a concussion issue that threatened to end his hurling career.
The freshness had a hugely positive impact and combined with his work – O’Donnell is in a tech role involved in building software – he insists there is no way he could return to the all-year-round hurling demands.
Shane O'Donnell on the "surreal" feeling of being named hurler of the year, targeting Munster and All-Ireland glory in 2025 and exploring a whole new world when his hurling career is over @GaaClare #hurling #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/rH8JdsjMbo
— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) December 28, 2024
Sitting out the competition could become more attractive, he says, to the more experienced players who have the hurling in the bank.
"For me the season is too long. It would be too long for me to start hurling in December and play and train all the ways through to July at inter-county level and then continue with the club.
"Physically my body would not survive that, I know that now. Also from a work perspective, it’s not compatible.
"It came about because of the concussion – I ended up having a long off-season the year after and I felt like I got the best out of my body in a long time – and I had the conversation with Brian Lohan and negotiated this shorter season.
"It served me well, and I think it would serve a lot of players well."
With Clare landing ultimate honours for just the fifth time and the 30-year-old named the best in class for 2024, O’Donnell says it is only in the off-season he has had time to fully appreciate the year just gone.
Taking home the Hurler of the Year award however is still something he is still wrapping his head around.
"It’s surreal," he says. "I mean a lot of things are possible. I thought it was possible, but not probable.
"I never gave it too much thought. When you think about the great things that can happen in the year, you never really think past Liam MacCarthy.
"It’s a huge honour to think of the calibre of players that have won it in the past."
In less than four months the Munster championship will be up and running, with the Banner opening their campaign in a rerun of this year’s classic All-Ireland final as Cork travel to Ennis seeking some degree of atonement.
Lohan’s men then face Waterford (away) and Tipperary (home) before rounding off the group stage with a trip to the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
Having lost the last three provincial deciders to the Treaty men and without a Munster title since 1998, it’s clear where the early focus will be for 2025.
"That will be a huge ambition of ours," he says. "Obviously there are so many fantastic teams in Munster, even getting out of the province is the first goal, but if you think about ambitions for where you want to end the year, the Munster championship is the first goal.
"Retaining Liam MacCarthy is of course the ultimate achievement we will be looking to focus on."
