CLARE HURLER SHANE O’Donnell will not be lining out in this weekend’s Cork senior hurling championship despite being eligible to play for UCC, the third-level outfit who include members of the Rebels side that lost last week’s All-Ireland decider.
O’Donnell was the man-of-the-match and Clare hero as bagged a hat-trick of goals in last Saturday’s classic tie in Croke Park.
And the 19 year-old UCC student, who is heading into 2nd year of his studies at the college, is eligible to line out at club level in this weekend’s Cork senior hurling championship.
UCC face Sarsfields in a fourth round replay on Sunday evening in Páirc Uí Rinn but O’Donnell is not set to be involved despite being available for selection for the third-level outfit.
O’Donnell was in line for the unique scenario of playing with and against members of the Cork team that he was in opposition to last Saturday.
UCC’s team includes Cork stars William Egan, Seamus Harnedy and Robert O’Shea, while Sarsfields, chasing a fourth Cork title in six years this season, have Conor O’Sullivan, Daniel Kearney, Cian McCarthy and Michael Cussen in their side.
Pic: INPHO/Donall Farmer
After a summer where he won All-Ireland senior and U21 hurling medals, it was felt that O’Donnell – who has not featured during this year’s Cork county championship for UCC – faces a hectic enough schedule at local level in Clare in the coming weeks.
His club Éire Óg (Ennis) are in action this Saturday afternoon in a group game in the Clare senior B hurling championship against Smith O’Brien’s. The UCC GAA management opted to leave O’Donnell concentrate on his club activity in Clare.
O’Donnell will be eligible to feature for UCC in next year’s Fitzgibbon Cup competition. Earlier this year he was full-forward on the UCC side that won the All-Ireland Freshers hurling title with current Cork selector Ger Cunningham the manager of that outfit.
Prob because he is too busy #jockeying
Ridiculous that players can still play in county championships in two different counties in the same year. He has to make himself eligible for selection for the college team if he is on a sports scholarship, but this means that Cork natives who are offered the same have to either choose the scholarship or choose to continue to play with their own club.
Sure no cork natives would be good enough to get a scholarship
Chip on the ould shoulder about Cork, Nelly? Get a life, FFS.
Seriously was bad defending that gifted those goals don’t think we have another sheflin as the say goes one swallow doesn’t make a summer
Up the Rebels :)
#UpTheDubs
#dope
Where does it say the he’s on a scholarship to UCC? This is the non story of all non story’s! UCC have been signing lads up for years on a dual registration, (often without lads knowing they’ve been signed too I might add!) it’s a bit of an anomaly in the rules if you ask me that lads can play for the College in the Cork Co Championship and with their own clubs legally also.
I’ve seen transfer forms for players in UCC that’d make them eligible to play for both UCC and their own Clubs and I’d say the players in question never saw them or signed them either!
I’d say it’d be much more so a case of his own Club Eire Og telling UCC to take a running jump for themselves and proper order too!
Freshers, Fitzgibbon and Inter College hurling is what Colleges like UCC should stick to as opposed to trying to bring lads from all over the country away from their own clubs to play in the Cork Co Championship against PROPER actual Club teams.
As regards the infantile comments re O Donnell being gifted 3 goals, come on! the young fella just scored 3-3 in a fantastic All Ireland and some of his scores were out of the top drawer. Best team over two days won it and young O Donnell was a big part of that. Fair play to him and to Clare from this Tipp supporter anyways.
Automatic fail in all exams for the damage he did last wknd. :-)
I’m over the moon for him!!
Just saying that he had a combination of lucky breaking balls and bad defending that got him those goals .
I don’t think he’s gonna be a Christy Ring!!!
Why do people have to knock a young lad who’s done his County proud?? How many of you negative commentors can boast a tally like that in one game let alone a high pressure game such as an Ireland final.. Plus he was gracious in his post match comments and at only 19 that says a lot for his character. Fair play to him I say.
He was handed those goals in the final, I don’t think he’ll score that amount again in his lifetime.
Hardly from cork Roy? He’s 19 and just had the greatest day of his life, a normal person would be happy for him.
Ur just up set because he’s not from cork
A flash in the pan!!
Remember back in the late eighties when I attended UCC, winning both freshers and Fitzgibbon All-Ireland medals, my professors would joke in a good humored way about when Clare would win an All-Ireland!
How times have changed ;)
UCC played a lot like how Clare play hurling today, intelligent and at a very fast pace.
Played my club hurling in Clare with Ruan and in Cork with UCC.
Had the pleasure of playing with fellas from all over Cork, Tipp, Limerick, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, and even a lad from Roscommon, against the likes of John Fenton and Jevin Hennessy. A great experience for any young lad. O’Donnell’s 3-3 as well as his post match speech will be remembered for eternity.
He could play for Arsenal if he smoked.