Donnellan puts body on line for club and county

If ever you needed a man to put his body on the line for the cause, then look no further than Padraig Pearses’ Cyril Donnellan. Simply throw him into the white heat of battle and the warrior emerges. Club or county, he sets the tone.

Donnellan, though, is not so much a ‘hardchaw’, rather a hard, committed player. In that he plays hard. On the edge. He is also strong on the ball, in the air and in the tackle. And every day he goes out he empties the tank. It is why his team-mates respect him and his opponents fear him.

That said, it all takes its toll and over the years Donnellan’s medical file has grown and grown. In recent times, he has struggled with an on-going groin injury that has curtailed his exertions with club and county; while earlier this year he missed club championship action with broken fingers.

Against Offaly, however, Donnellan made his return when introduced in the second-half as a substitute. He picked off a point. He looked eager.

“Yeah, I was delighted to be back on the pitch again,” says Donnellan. “I picked up a few knocks in the club championship. It happens. It wasn’t a season-ender, just a small break in the hand. There is a bit of freshness to me now again though, and I am pushing for a place and making a full contribution at training. So, I am happy enough with the progress really.”

Still, it hasn’t been easy for Donnellan, who has been dogged by a long term groin injury. Yet, he has not been found wanting. In 2014, he put aside his own personal welfare to field for Pearses in their senior relegation play-off against Kinvara and played a pivotal role in saving them from the drop.

Since then, he has undergone an operation and made lifestyle changes so he can continue to play.

“I was working with Dave Hanley (physio) the whole time to try and manage it and he actually sent me to England for the operation through Connacht rugby. He had a contact over there.

“You will do anything when you are injured for a period of time to get back and get going again. We went looking for second opinions and I made two trips to England and a good few trips to Dublin. It is not too bad now though. It is manageable.”

To this end, he notes difficult choices often have to be made and, consequently, his club don’t always get the full benefit of his services when he is committed to Galway. “You have to mind what days you train, how often you train and get adequate rest,” he continues.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.