By Irishexaminer.com,Simon Lewis

Copyright irishexaminer

Hooker Donnellan collected his third league winner’s medal as he hoisted the trophy at Aviva Stadium last May following Clontarf’s final victory over defending champions Cork Constitution.

The previous two had come in 2016 and 2022 and both Terenure and Cork Con have tried and failed to extend their status as title holders beyond their initial 12 months at the top.

It has not been for the want of trying by any of the previous champions since Shannon completed a three-in-row in 2006, before giving way to a succession of one and done champions.

Each of the past three final winners since the Covid hiatus of 2020-22 has lost the following season’s decider, forced to settle for runner-up spot but the Clontarf skipper is hoping his team’s experience may finally come to bear this time around.

“There’s a great history of whoever won it the year before in the last couple of years getting to the final and losing,” Donnellan said.

“I think the big learning from it was anytime a team comes to play you now they’re playing their biggest game. You know, it’s in there, whether it’s whoever’s struggling at 10th scraping a fight for relegation battles, or whether it’s whoever’s top of the table, they’ll have their eyes on you and it’s probably marked in the calendar a little bit.

“So it’s just, I suppose, having that awareness that, okay, teams are coming for us, we need to be at our best, regardless of who we’re playing. Which is probably something we haven’t been the best at.

“We probably don’t beat the teams we’re expected to beat by as much, or we leave it a little bit late. So hopefully, we won’t be leaving games as late this year but yeah, just being cognizant of that fact, I suppose and going about our own business.”

Having head coach Wood at the helm once more is a definite plus point. The New Zealand-born former second row played for ‘Tarf in the 2003 and 2006 finals, and coached the Castle Avenue club to all four of their title victories in 2014, 2016, 2022 and 2025.

Ahead of their new season opener at last season’s semi-final opponents St Mary’s College this Saturday, Donnellan said: “Yeah, what’s the secret sauce? Woody is a club legend. Like if there’s one person you can say it about in the club, it’s him.

“He’s been involved in every AIL final Clontarf have been involved in, either as a player or as a coach. So there aren’t words to describe what the club means to Woody or what Woody means to the club. The two are just synonymous, really.

“He’s an absolute competitor, which obviously is great for us because he sees what we’re putting in, we see what he puts into it and it just drives everyone on. And then obviously the last 10 years or so have been very good for the club. So when you’ve got that taste for success and it’s always kind of there or thereabouts, it’s a very hard place to leave.”

Wood clearly has the immense respect of his players, Donnellan even joking that the head coach had something to do with his recent house purchase in nearby Killester.

“He’s the kind of guy you’d go to war for and you know, the old classic, like jump, how high? Yeah, you know, run through a brick wall for the man.

“Look, it’s great to have him there and then Karl Curran who would have played with the club is coaching the backs, Mick Kearney who would have played for the club, is doing some lineout work with us, Cian Healy, he’s down doing some scrum stuff.

“So like it’s all club connection but you’re getting the best of the best to do it. That’s just what the club does. It just breeds people who want to stay put and want to help out in whatever way they can. Get you to buy a house nearby!

“So they’ve got like next generation stuff as well. That’s the type of place it is and they obviously grow so many of their own players which just keeps the club going. You can bring in yokes like me then from Galway to fill a gap where needed.

“But the underage stuff, you see how many kids are down, and how many of them come through. How many of our 20s last year are now already in senior squad and played Leinster League already this year. It’s just an animal that keeps churning.”