TWO days before the severity of the coronavirus pandemic was realised on these shores, Niall Donnelly was ready to call time on his Down career – now, four months on, the Tullylish man can’t wait to pull on the red and black jersey again.
After battling back from the shoulder and ankle injuries that have curtailed his involvement in recent years, midfielder Donnelly got some minutes under his belt when he was brought on towards the end of the National League games against Tipperary and Offaly earlier this year.
However, when an issue flared up in his groin on the eve of the Pairc Esler date with Leitrim, scheduled for March 14, the versatile 27-year-old had decided enough was enough.
“After the whole ankle saga, I got a few minutes against Offaly and Tipperary and was starting to make tracks towards playing a bit, but then my groin started giving me trouble. It turns out I’ve got chronic tendonitis in my groin,” said Donnelly, who played full-back on St Mary’s University College Sigerson teams under current Down boss Paddy Tally.
“I was on the verge of quitting the county – my head was wrecked after all the injuries. The Tuesday before the Leitrim game I’d spoken to Paddy and said I was thinking of knocking it on the head.
“Then everything kicked off a few days later and there’s been no football since. Looking back, it was a spur of the moment sort of thing. The physio told me I was going to have to start managing my load, maybe only doing one or two sessions a week instead of three… for me that was no good.
“If you’re not training three nights a week and pushing for a place, that’s not what I want out of the county. I still want to be playing.
“Fitness is a massive thing for me – I was miles behind the boys coming back there, and then if you’re told you can only train one or two nights a week, you’re never going to close that gap so the chances of playing are slim.”
The round of games which would have included that Leitrim clash for the promotion-chasing Mournemen still hasn’t taken place, and won’t until the weekend of October 17/18 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yet while GAA players across all codes have been left frustrated during the long wait for a return to play, Donnelly has tried to take the positives from a trying situation.
“It has been a bit of a blessing in disguise really.
“I hadn’t played in so long, it’s given me time to rehab the groin and strengthen it. It’s feeling good now, so fingers crossed. You can manage your load a wee bit better with the club.
“I can’t wait to get back. I just want to play a bit of football and see how the body reacts. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to string a few games together and I’m just really looking forward to getting 60 minutes under my belt and seeing how I get on with that.
“I missed all of last season with the club and I can’t wait to get kicking a bit of ball with them. Beyond that, it’s definitely my intention to play out this season with Down and see how we get on.
“As long as I’m fit and well, I’m available for selection. I just want to be able to play my part.”
