O’Dea leans on Howlett for the way forward

 

NOW in his second season playing professional rugby for Munster, Ennis man Luke O’Dea is currently recovering from an ankle injury picked up against Ulster in Ravenhill last Friday week. Just finished a UL degree course in Economics and Sociology, the 22-year-old was enjoying playing a string of games on the wing for Munster, until he had to hobble off.

“I hadn’t started consecutive games until I played three games in a row up to the Ulster game. I was playing well enough, I thought anyway. It’s a setback but the internationals were back last weekend and they were all going to get a crack at it (against Newport Gwent Dragons),” the former St Flannan’s College student reasoned.

The atmosphere at the Ulster-Munster match resembled a Heineken Cup knockout game. Ironically, it wasn’t until O’Dea left the field that he picked up on that.

“When I was on the pitch, I didn’t realise how much atmosphere there was. But once I came off, I realised that the crowd had gone crazy. I was so sickened that I was off the pitch,” he said.

Like everybody with even a vague interest in rugby, Luke was shocked to hear of the deaths of Nevin Spence and the Ulster rugby player’s brother and father in a farming accident.

“I trained with him when we were at the Irish U-20 trials about three years ago. I wouldn’t have known him very well but it was a massive shock,” he said.

O’Dea is learning all the time from playing and training alongside icons like Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara. However, it’s a back three colleague, Doug Howlett, whom he grills most often for information and tips.

“I’m in his pocket at every training session asking him things. He must be sick of me. But he’s such a nice guy, he always answers my questions. Some of the stuff that comes so naturally to him over the years, doesn’t come to me as easily. So I’d be asking all of these obvious questions for him. He’s helped me so much. If I didn’t get a move, he’d sit me down. Before games, he always comes over and talks, which gives you a lot more confidence,” O’Dea revealed.

He made his debut in November 2011 in Munster’s 34-17 win over Edinburgh in the RaboDirect PRO12 game at Thomond Park Stadium.

The Shannon RFC clubman scored a bonus point-winning try in what was an impressive personal display. O’Dea, who lived in Birmingham until 2002, has played most of his club rugby with Shannon, although he started playing as a child with Mosley in the UK.

Luke didn’t play with Ennis RFC because the weekend he was due to go to training, Clare were in the 2002 All-Ireland hurling final against Kilkenny and rugby training was cancelled. Instead, he trained with Shannon RFC and has been attached to the club since.

Away from the rugby field, Luke has spent the last four years studying Economics and Sociology at UL.

“It has been pretty interesting in the last few years. Everyone has a different opinion on what’s going on,” he said of the nation’s economy.

“You’d have lecturers that would have one opinion one year and then you’d come back the next year and hear something different,” he laughed.

Encouraged by his parents and some of his rugby-playing team-mates, Luke completed his degree and might even continue to study.

“My parents were always on to me to get a degree and let the rugby follow from there. Whenever I talk to the older fellas like Paul O’Connell or Donnacha O’Callaghan, they were always telling me to stay at college.

Jerry Flannery has also recently gone back to college. When you hear that from them, you listen,” he said.
Professional sports people often end their playing careers without a clear plan as to where they go from there.

“Normally, people don’t starting thinking about that until the last year or two of their career. I think I might just keep going to college and do more courses,” Luke told The Clare Champion.

He appreciates the fact that while many of his student friends are either emigrating or scrambling for work, he is earning a living as a professional sportsman in the Mid-West.

“I’m just finishing up college now and I pretty much have a job straight away. My parents have looked after me money wise up until now. It has been a really easy transition that other people might not get. A lot of my friends are either moving away or waiting for any job openings,” he reflected.

Under new Munster coach Rob Penney, Munster seem to be altering their traditional game, something O’Dea is enjoying

“Rob Penney is really all about staying positive. The coaches don’t want any negative feedback. Everything is positive. If you make a mistake it’s always ‘forget about, you’re ok’. The way we’re playing at the moment reflects that. Everyone is full of confidence and are throwing the ball around,” he said.

“There’s still a transition being made. Towards the end of the Ulster game we went back to the old Munster way. It’s only been about nine or 10 weeks since pre-season started. I think we’ve done well so far,” O’Dea added.

On a personal level, Luke is not setting long-term goals. He is merely focusing on the here and now.

“My short-term goal is to make every squad that I’m available for, which is very hard but you have to be like that with the competition that’s in the squad at the moment. If you slacken off in training, the other guy is going to get ahead of you,” he cautioned.

Following their win over Newport Gwent Dragons last weekend, Munster will play Ospreys away on Saturday at 6.30pm in their fifth RaboDirect PRO 12 fixture.