O’Connell returns to Clare training

Former Clare hurling captain Brian O’Connell trained with the Clare hurlers on Tuesday night but stressed that “it is on a trial basis and we will see how things go over the coming weeks. I will be trying to get my hurling up to speed”.
At the end of 2010, the Wolfe Tones man emigrated to Australia, where he spent the past year. “I was involved with a club in Melbourne but I broke my hand at the beginning of last year and didn’t’ get much hurling,” he told The Clare Champion.
O’Connell, who is hoping to get employment next week, played a recent challenge with a Clare selection against Galway. “I have been training with the club and am looking forward to the year ahead with them,” he said.
He admitted to missing the hurling while he was away. “I certainly missed being involved. In Melbourne, we only got to see the championship games on TV. Yes, I missed the banter and being involved.”
The Shannon man said he was impressed with how the lads are going. “They are clearly a good bunch who are really keen to do well. With the final coming up on Saturday, the are all focussed on the task at hand.”
O’Connell too has a focus on Saturday’s game but it will be from the stand as he will not be part of the league panel.
“As I said, I have returned to training and we will be monitoring how things will go over the coming weeks,” he concluded.