Brian Barry
GAA Editor @BrianGBarry
Shane O'Donnell's concussion nightmare: 'I accepted I was never going to hurl again'
Shane O'Donnell discusses his nightmare year after suffering a concussion injury, and details how he had made peace with the notion that he would never hurl again: "There were six or seven weeks where my brain was not functioning. I could not process anything."
Last Updated: 14/06/22 1:02pm
Shane O'Donnell is back to his very best.
The 2013 All-Ireland final hat-trick hero has been central to Clare's resurgence this summer, as the Banner topped the Munster Championship round-robin and brought All-Ireland champions Limerick to extra-time in an epic provincial final.
The Éire Óg Ennis club man's return to action has been so impressive that he was named as hurling's Player of the Month for May.
But for long periods of the last year, he didn't know if he would ever hurl again. After sustaining a concussion injury in training during the 2021 National League campaign, even the most basic of tasks were proving difficult for O'Donnell in his day-to-day life.
"It was a long path," he reflected.
"Three days ago, I got a memory come up on my phone, and I was like 'Oh God, that's a memory I could do without'. It's 12 months ago. It was very difficult. I had 10 or 11 weeks off the pitch where...hurling was just not to the forefront of my mind.
"There were six or seven weeks where my brain was not functioning. I could not process anything. Going from, like anyone having a normal function where you go through your day and expect things to work.
"And go from that to having an extended period of time, the guts of two months, where suddenly you can't process thoughts, your brain isn't working well, you're having all these extreme symptoms, pressure in your head, I'm not going to go through it. It was an extremely difficult time.
"And also psychologically, it's hard to know when that's going to end and if it's going to end because the nature of concussion, it isn't just that you start with really bad symptoms, and it gradually gets better. It comes at you round after round and it feels like you're never going to get to the end of it, being honest."
When the physical symptoms of concussion began to wane, he returned to the field with his club. But doubts remained.
"I went back playing club. I took a couple of hits, and I just wasn't confident enough that the hits I was taking, I was able to ride through them," he said.
"They psychologically set me back. Ultimately, I ended up waiting until March this year to get the all clear again from the specialist.
"He told me 'Physically, you're fine. But I think you still have psychological [hang-ups], you're concerned about it basically...the best way to handle the anxiety like this is exposure. The best thing you can do is get back on the pitch.'
"That's what I did. I asked Brian [Lohan] would they take me back in in March, and they were very, very open to that, and I was delighted to get back on the pitch. It's been an absolute tonic to be back, being able to just train, and it's got me through that difficult head space. It's been a joy to be back. But's it's not been pleasant, the last 12 months to be honest."
During those long months, sport was not on O'Donnell's priority list.
"Absolutely, hurling was gone," he said.
"Once I had fully come to terms with what happened a few days after and I was feeling the full brunt of the symptoms, I'd accepted that I wasn't ever going to hurl again.
"I'd fully accepted that, it wasn't an issue. I just thought that I'm never putting myself through this again. And if I've to give up hurling then that's a small price to pay.
"We had games while I was experiencing this. I couldn't watch the games but, even knowing they were happening, I was like 'I don't miss any of that given what I'm going [through]'.
"I couldn't even process that I should be out there. It was a really weird experience. Until I fully got back on the pitch 10 or 11 weeks later, and I took a lot of convincing to go back onto the pitch, I'd kind of accepted that I wasn't allowed play again. I was fully at peace with that to be honest."
But watching O'Donnell back on the field, it is like he was never away.
"I am really enjoying it," he said.
"A lot of it was I came back with the attitude that you don't know when it's going to end. I'm just going to take it a year at a time.
"And if I don't play next year...that might happen. That gives you a level of freedom but also it puts it all in perspective. What is the worst thing that can happen? If we lose a game, yeah that's devastating and last week was the most disappointed I've been in a long time when it comes to a game.
"But at the same time I'd rather lose 10 Munster finals like that in a row, rather than take the impact and have the summer and year I've had over the last 12 months. So it really does put that in perspective."
