Urgent clampdown on high tackles must come from top, says retiring Shane O'Donnell
Clare hurler Shane O'Donnell during the Cróga Nutrition product launch at Croke Park in Dublin. This launch event unveiled a groundbreaking new sports nutrition brand, specially formulated for Gaelic games, that has been developed as a joint venture between the GAA, GPA and Nuvion Nutrition. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Shane O'Donnell has revealed that he feared the worst and 'jumped to the next step' when Clare colleague David Reidy suffered his 'really, really scary' concussion against Dublin.
Reidy isn't expected to play a part in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick, a game that will be O'Donnell's last for the Banner if they lose, having confirmed that he will retire.
Reidy was knocked out and hospitalised following a heavy challenge by Dublin's Brendan Kenny during their quarter-final tie.
O'Donnell, who suffered a severe concussion himself in 2021, was one of the first on the scene and said that 'it wasn't certain he was breathing'.
Speaking at the launch of new Irish sports nutrition brand Cróga, which has been developed by the GAA/GPA and Nuvion Nutrition team, O'Donnell said he was initially deeply worried about Reidy.
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"He got hit and he went straight into that defence response, where your arms come up, and you just know that he's been knocked out straight away," said O'Donnell. "So all the lads started going at the Dublin lads, and the Dublin lads came in, but we just went over to David.
"It was scary enough. He just wasn't moving. He was fully knocked out. Looking back on it, it maybe wasn't as concerning, but he was fully knocked out and not moving and it wasn't certain he was breathing.
"The physio was checking that he was breathing and the doctor was checking his pulse, but he (Reidy) straps up his wrists, so I just heard the doctor saying, 'I can't get his pulse'. That's when I was like, 'Oh fucking hell, somebody get an ambulance'.
"I left then and went to try to get one of the refs to get an ambulance or something, and I think the doctor then, like a half a second later, checked his (Reidy's) neck and was like, 'Oh yeah, he does have a pulse'.
"So, in my mind, (initially) I'd kind of jumped to the next step. Obviously it turned out okay, 30 seconds maybe after that, he started moving and things were fine. He's actually recovered really well, but it was scary. It was really, really scary."
Dublin player Liam Rushe stated last week that there was no 'malicious intent' on Kenny's part and argued that it was a rare, 'unfortunate incident'.
Asked if head high challenges are a problem in hurling, or if he felt the Reidy episode was a one-off, O'Donnell was unequivocal.
"It's not a one-off, it's not even a one-off this year for our team alone, so it is a problem, I think," said the two-time All-Ireland winner.
"It's the tackle where you're coming out after rising the ball, when you're completely exposed. I got hit with one earlier in the year and, looking back on it, it wasn't the same position and you managed to kind of ride through it, but I didn't see it happening, got blindsided. You're still able to take it, as long as you're upright.
"But when you're coming out of rising the ball, number one you can't see it, but two, your head is already low enough. No matter how quickly you come up, your chin is going to get caught with a shoulder. So both Mark (Rodgers) and David have been caught with that exact tackle.
"Mark is still dealing with the situation. It's not any symptoms that are stopping him from hurling but it's just other stuff. That shouldn't be the case after going out playing a game of hurling that you have this stuff to contend with. I think they need to do something about it.
"Everyone knows the ref's job is hard enough, I think they need to be supported with a top down (order) from the GAA command or something, that just says the moment when you're coming out of rising, you're really vulnerable."
Heavy hits will be a thing of the past shortly enough for O'Donnell. The 32-year-old former Hurler of the Year has confirmed that he will retire when the season ends and will also quit his club, Éire Óg, as he plans to work abroad.
"Australia was the idea, but then my company are looking to expand into America, so that's potentially on the cards," said the PhD graduate and former Harvard University scholarship recipient. "They're opening up operations in New York at the moment, so it'd be possibly that."
The Ennis man said that after 14 seasons with Clare, his career had taken a hit.
"I'm feeling like I'm having to trade off more each year, it's getting harder to rationalise the decisions I'm making around not living abroad... I feel like I'm holding back my career, I feel like I'm not able to do the things that normal people at this stage of their lives do. So, it is an opportunity cost thing more than anything else."
Despite being one of a large number of thirty-something Clare players, O'Donnell isn't anticipating a winter exodus.
"I don't get that sense," he said. "We haven't had the conversation, but I don't get the sense that that's how it's going to go at the moment."
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