How Anthony Foley built Tommy O’Donnell the foundation for a pro career

Whether or not this Friday at Thomond Park proves to be his final outing in the red jersey remains to be seen but O’Donnell is happy to go out on his own terms and as a one-club man

Tommy O'Donnell pictured sharing a laugh with Anthony Foley at Munster training at CIT in 2014. Picture: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE

Anthony Foley’s death and the emotional match that followed his funeral provided Tommy O’Donnell with an almost immediate answer when asked for a moment from his long Munster career that he would never forget.

Yet it was Foley’s influence on the Ireland flanker as a player that, while not as instantly recollected, had just as much impact on O’Donnell as he looked back on the career that will end in retirement in a few short weeks.