O’Donnell delights in rollercoaster ride to top

Munster Awards

The 25-year-old Tipperary native, who made his Munster debut in 2007, this season filled the vacuum left at openside flanker by the retirement of David Wallace, becoming new coach Rob Penney’s chosen number seven and playing 21 times in a 30-match campaign despite two spells on the sidelines through injury. O’Donnell, who was nominated by his team-mates to a shortlist also including fellow Munster academy graduates Simon Zebo and Dave Kilcoyne, received his award during the 2013 Munster Rugby Awards luncheon in Cork yesterday and in his acceptance speech referenced his long journey to a first-team place.

“It’s been a long time coming and I suppose even this season, coming into October, you wouldn’t have said my season would finish like this,” O’Donnell told master of ceremonies Donal Lenihan.