A FEW DAYS ago we spoke to former Munster and Ireland flanker Alan Quinlan about the struggle of adjusting from being a professional rugby player to an ordinary bloke.
It wasn’t too bad for Quinlan since he had multiple media gigs lined up, but what about the less heralded players in Ireland?
Not everyone can get a lucrative national contract and enjoy an almost 20-year career – some have retirement forced upon them like former Connacht and Leinster scrum-half Paul O’Donohoe.
O’Donohoe was released by the western province at the end of last season after suffering nerve damage in his back following an injury against Zebre. There was little fanfare when he was let go – most of the coverage focused on the departure of Gavin Duffy and Dan Parks at the same time – but the day it was announced, a 27-year-old had to start again after devoting six years of his life to the professional game.
“It was strange because I had actually been thinking during that last season about life after rugby so I didn’t take it as badly as some people might have,” O’Donohoe said.
“I never really wanted to be one of those guys who play into their late 30′s. You see guys like that – even if they have been great players – they become disposable once they get towards the end of their careers.”
O’Donohoe’s career was split evenly between Leinster and Connacht, spending three years with each. He also had a decorated underage career, winning the Leinster Schools Senior Cup with Belvedere alongside Eoin O’Malley, Cian Healy and Ian Keatley as well as winning an U20 6 Nations Grand Slam.
O’Donohoe says he never saw himself as a ‘career rugby player’ and even though he didn’t want to play for another ten years there were still struggles when he finished up – namely, how do you fill a whole day when you’re once meticulously scheduled life all of a sudden becomes more unstructured than a Clermont counter-attack?
“You could almost be washing the dishes 24 times a day, you are just doing anything to fill the hours,” O’Donohoe says.
“It is a hard thing to leave professional sport. You start once you leave school and it is all you really know until you have it pulled out from under you.”
That was in the period directly after his retirement, but now his day-planner contains a lot more than just washing and drying. He is involved in business development with an entertainment company, Kyazoonga, and says he doesn’t miss being able to call himself a ‘professional rugby player’.
He can make his own schedule with work, something that is distinctly at odds to the regimented existence he left last spring.
“You are out on your own when you leave rugby,” O’Donohoe said.
“It is not that nobody cares about you, but you don’t have any coaches there to push you or the lads. When you are playing you are almost part of a small cult.”
O’Donohoe also offers some advice to any other veteran players whose careers are winding down.
“Stay active in all aspects of life and have interests outside rugby,” he says.
“Rugby is a great community but a small community. Don’t get pigeon-holed as just a rugby player because it isn’t the be all and end all.”
O’Donohoe still keeps up with his old provincial sides and likes to see his friends doing well, but he’s not a rugby junkie who needs to see every game to get a fix.
“I’m definitely not going to be tuning into some random Top 14 game,” he laughs.
While he doesn’t play sports for a living any more, the sportsman in O’Donohoe hasn’t retired for good. Now, he boxes with his instructor Steve in a gym on Camden Street three days a week (maybe he can step up a weight class or five and give Quade Cooper or Sonny Bill a go).
The adrenaline rush of boxing could act as a surrogate for the one part of rugby O’Donohoe says he misses whenever he sees his old pals at the Sportsgrounds revelling in an upset victory.
“There is nothing in life that equates to the feeling after a big win,” he says.
“That is the one thing I probably miss, that euphoric buzz after a monster win.”
First time I’ve seen united give out about Webb! They don’t give out when he gives dubious decisions in favour of united!
Now United fans can have a finer appreciation of LFC supporters infuriation with Webb’s awful performance and decisions against Chelsea last Sunday.
Here here
Totally agree good comment
Howard Webb is suppose to be the best ref in England he should be fired after the decisions he made in the last two games
He should be fined and given a hefty suspension from the touchlines…he has questioned the integrity of the ref and used tough language in his interview
O wow if they fecking played better they wouldn’t have to worry about bad decisions. Just more excuses for poor form. This is from a long time United fan :(
Bit of Karma for the Diving expert Young, Webbs new United contract mustn’t have the ” no penalty no fee” clause in it, Taxi for moyes!
Shouldn’t have signed him then
That’s Pogba and Webb contracts expired at united…. Poor business
I think Chelsea had him signed on a pre contract agreement anyway.
Massive mistake letting pogba go to juventus :(
Probably wrong place to be post that :)
He prob be brutal at united… Italian league is not the best in fairness
Europes top u21 let him go for £1million I’d take him over fellani any day :)
I’d say lukaku would pip him to that in fairness, his goal record is unreal for someone so young, fergie said they had no choice anyway, the man wanted to go
He won the award in 2013 :)
Is that a UEFA award?
Na it’s given by sports journalists
If he’s that good united wouldn’t of let it go right down to the wire on his contract, why did they let morrison go, that’s what ye should be asking see his displays?
I’ve not seen much of him to be honest so can’t comment on it :)
Google ravel morrisons goal for west ham against spurs this year, he’s box to box midfielder
Cracker
Type in ravel morrison England training goal, I know it’s only training but it’s a bit special
Ciara n ravel Morrison has flashes here and there but overall he is an average player. He played against united a few weeks ago and was missing throughout the game
Ya still have to have skill to stand out like he is doing at the moment and the Italians are still a hard draw in the champions league for any team .
Yas signed bebe sure ya had the cover
He’s a prospect finding his feet, if he played with better players ie. United I’m sure he would prosper
Morrison was let go because of his off the field activities and constant run ins with the Police
All geniuses are flawed
At last some karma catching up with utd and their blinkered ‘fans’. Mid table teams regularly get these terrible, game changing mistakes made against them by the officials. Im not talking about close calls or ambiguous incidents that the officials cant be sure of, Im talking about the glaringly obvious ones like yesterday. They dont just change a game, they change a season. No longer will teams go to old trafford thinking that no matter how well they play , howard webb will play better for utd. Did the utd fans have sympathy when reality was pointed out? Did they man up and say ‘yes that was a bod decision’? Did they f@ck. They sneered and said people were jealous, suck it up utd fans, long may it continue looool.
Is Howard not on the Old Trafford payroll?
Or were his previously deferential decisions in the past down to Fergie alone?
Shouldn’t of signed him then
hilarious
Nobody fears United anymore, not even Howard Webb,
Ashley’s balance on the pitch is the same as Bambi’s on ice!!!!
Prob would take his bank balance though!!!
Did fergy not tell him how much his wages were and what bank account to leave it in before he left .
This was probably Luis Suarez fault as well .
COYS!!!
Terrible performances two weeks in a row but he refereed a World Cup final so he’s bullet proof.
What about the handball for spurs penalty that wasn’t given?
Funniest post match interview I’ve watched in recent times.Hahahaha he was so butthurt
Did Ashley young not hit an audacious shot towards goal? That’s advantage from what I gather..
A Year !! A New Years Resolution and A new A/c for For the same trolling idiot of 2013 Steo collie jammer meade johnson !
Shane he would have split him in two if he stayed on his feet!!!
^ pathetic oul gobshi