Dublin hurling captain Eoghan O’Donnell says he feels he could have added value against Kerry in last year’s All-Ireland Football Championship semi-final.
The Whitehall Colmcille man joined Dessie Farrell’s panel last summer, after the Sky Blues were eliminated from the Hurling Championship.
He made his debut off the bench in the All-Ireland quarter-final victory over Cork, but was an unused substitute in the epic All-Ireland semi-final against the Kingdom.
Speaking to Our Game, O’Donnell outlined his disappointment at not featuring, but acknowledged that Farrell had less substitutions at his disposal due to injuries on the field.
“I wanted to come in and add value, and to play at the highest level,” O’Donnell told Our Game, discussing his time with the footballers.
“Being very honest, unless I started and maybe unless I won man of the match, I still wouldn’t have been happy! I wanted the storyline finish which might have been unreasonable.
“And things went on the day (of the Kerry game) that probably didn’t favour me. Just because I play full-back in hurling doesn’t mean I’m a full-back in football. I’m not a full-back in football. We had three injuries in the full-back line, so that used up subs. There was a load of different factors on the day that maybe didn’t go my way.
“But I definitely felt I could have added something on the day, from my experience in the training matches, and how I got on against Cork and things like that.
“That’s sport. Very few people – except for Messi – get the fairytale finish!”
Throughout the inter-county off-season, there was speculation whether O’Donnell would return to the hurling panel or remain with the footballers.
He has since committed to the small ball, and is a key player for the team as they aim to make strides under Micheál Donoghue this season.
You can watch the full discussion with Eoghan O’Donnell here.
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