Clare hurlers' retirement pact may be put on ice

Irish Examiner

30-06-2025

Shane O'Donnell has revealed that he and a group of Clare's most decorated hurling performers privately pencilled in 2025 to retire.
The reigning Hurler of the Year has stopped short of calling it quits after their nightmare season though, and could yet be convinced to stick around.
O'Donnell, David McInerney, Tony Kelly, Seadna Morey, Peter Duggan, and John Conlon all won their second All-Ireland medals last year having previously featured in the 2013 win.
Speaking at the launch of Bord Gais Energy's new solar campaign, O'Donnell said that the veteran players decided after last year's MacCarthy Cup success to give it one more season and then quit.
"We kind of just said that this year was probably going to be our last year," said O'Donnell. "A lot of us actually explicitly had plans to leave (after 2025) and weren't going to be available for the year after.
"It wasn't one isolated conversation, or it wasn't a one-to-one chat. It was kind of, I wouldn't say it was an agreement but it was...yeah, that was definitely kind of the path we were going to go, which has changed slightly."
Clare hurler Shane O'Donnell joined Bord Gáis Energy Retrofit Manager Valerie Hand to kick off the new solar campaign. Go to www.bordgaisenergy.ie for more details. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Clare won just one of their Munster round robin games, defeating Limerick in the final round when qualification for the All-Ireland series was already beyond their reach. Brian Lohan's side also lost five of their six National League games and suffered relegation to Division 1B.
Bowing out on that note may not sit well with players and O'Donnell revealed a conversation he had with McInerney which suggested he for one had already changed his tune about retiring.
"I remember the week of our game against Limerick, obviously we were out at this stage and it was the Tuesday training and we'd kind of just wrapped up a session," said O'Donnell.
"I kind of turned to Davie Mac and just said, 'That's our last Tuesday session ever'. He just looked at me, and I was under the impression he was going to be leaving, but he just turned to me and was like, 'Nah', basically.
"I think when it comes down to it, it becomes very difficult to actually take that step away. Even in the couple of weeks before that, and I had a very compressed campaign, I was very aware that these could be my last games with Clare. And it started to become quite uncomfortable.
"It's going to be a big decision from the first person to move out. And then if that person moves, then I think the rest of them will flow pretty quickly."
O'Donnell said it was a bittersweet season for him personally having made it back to compete in the Championship despite being told at the start of the year that he'd be out for six months with a shoulder injury.
"I actually just think about that result against Tipperary and think that it could have been one of the greatest days of my career," he said.
"Coming back after everything I put into getting back on the pitch, if we'd just won. But now I don't want to think about it because we didn't. It essentially torpedoed our campaign."
O'Donnell, 31, had previously indicated that he would be heading to the US in 2026 to work but said that is 'less appealing' now due to visa difficulties.
What's certain for O'Donnell is that even if a large group of players do retire, Clare will cope.
"I don't personally feel in any way concerned that a few of us will rotate out and that there will be a Clare drop off at all," he said. "I just don't see that being a problem at all. I think the talent is there, the attitude in the middle and younger group is exceptional. I'm not concerned at all about their capacity to take on that (responsibility)."