Eoghan O'Donnell has developed into a key player for Dublin.
By Eoghan Tuohey
It’s an interesting time to be a member of the Dublin senior hurling panel.
Despite suffering three Leinster Championship defeats there still is an air of anticipation, even expectation, that permeates from within hurling circles in the county, personified by enthusiastic defender, Eoghan O’Donnell.
“Arguably we should have won all three, I think we were leading in the 70th minute of every game this year, which is great to hear in one sense, but it's also a killer in another,” O’Donnell admits.
The arrival of Mattie Kenny to replace Pat Gilroy is another factor ahead of the 2019 campaign, but O’Donnell feels Dublin are moving in the right direction.
“So, we're knocking on the door, we don't have to reinvent the wheel, Mattie Kenny will know that, it's just getting more consistent and raising the intensity levels,” O’Donnell adds. “We have the hurlers, the facilities, the platform, it is just a matter of time before we make that breakthrough.”
The premature departure of Pat Gilroy came as a shock to panel members. It was not a call that O’Donnell was expecting to receive while on holiday in Croatia, and initially, he acknowledges it was difficult news to process.
“I couldn't believe it,” O’Donnell says. “It was nearly like a death in the family, lads were so motivated and ready to go back for the New Year, and then, the rug is whipped from under you. It definitely took a few weeks for the dust to settle and to get used to it.”
Despite this, the Whitehall Colmcilles clubman explains how the new appointment for the role, Kenny, was the universally preferred candidate from within the squad.
“Mattie Kenny is the right choice for the job,” O’Donnell states. “Players started discussing names, and Mattie Kenny was the first one we wanted, so it's a positive start to the year already.”
Eoghan O'Donnell in Leinster Hurling Championship action against Offaly.
O’Donnell puts the inability to see out games to their conclusion as being down to a lack of experience, as well as instances of plain bad luck when it was most needed.
“It's down to experience definitely,” O’Donnell comments. “We've got a lot of young players who did very well all year, but there is a small bit about closing games at the end, and I'd include myself in that bracket, I've only just turned 23, there's a small bit about luck where a few decisions could have gone our way, we conceded a late goal against Kilkenny, which was a real momentum-turner for the rest of the year.”
He’s not a man to dwell on past shortcomings, however, and neither will this young Dublin side, choosing to focus on the positives that come with narrowly missing out on key results, and to immediately turn their attention to preparing for the upcoming campaign.
“Sometimes you get the breaking ball, sometimes you don't, it's just the way it falls, we're looking forward to next year, because us losing in the 70th minute means we're contending.
“When we finished up against Galway last year, it didn't seem like it did finish, lads were still gunning for the gym and getting their fitness sessions in, and meeting up together, which I had never experienced before.
“When Limerick won last year, it gave the whole country a lift. Football fans were joining in, those wouldn't normally watch hurling. Limerick winning, it wasn't an underdog story, because we know how could they are, how competitive they are, but it just showed that really, anyone can win it, there's a lot of teams knocking on the door and it makes for an extremely exciting prospect for fans this year.”
Mattie Kenny has made it clear to the players that this is not a side in transition, and performance, while key, needs to be married with results to confirm their progression.
“Absolutely, nobody's making excuses here, when we lose we put our hands up and say, we should have won that game,” O’Donnell responds. “Pat, Ger (Cunningham) and (Anthony) Daly brought an awful lot to the table, and we're here to perform, not to make excuses.
“If we're not contending to win a Leinster or All-Ireland, then we're in the wrong game. We fully believe in ourselves and our own abilities.”
Eoghan O'Donnell was speaking at the AIG Skills Challenge on Monday evening.
