Clon delighted to have Cork star O’Donovan back in action

LIAM O’Donovan played his first game of football for Clonakilty in over 18 months last Sunday week.
The Cork footballer started for his home club in their Cork Credit Unions Division 2 Football League draw away to Newcestown.
O’Donovan, lining up in the half-back line, played 40 minutes before being replaced by Ciarán Crowley early in the second half
‘We are delighted to have Liam back again,’ Clon selector Eoin Ryan said, and O’Donovan’s return is a huge boost given his injury nightmare in recent years.
His last football game before the weekend was Clonakilty’s Cork Premier SFC semi-final win against Douglas at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in November 2021 when he suffered a serious hamstring injury in the closing stages. He had to travel to London for surgery and missed the entire 2022 campaign for Cork and Clon’s football teams.
O’Donovan did make a brief comeback for Clon’s junior hurlers in October 2022, but hasn’t featured for club or county in 2023 until last Sunday.
Cork football boss John Cleary told the Star in March that O’Donovan’s road to recovery was ‘slower than was envisaged’, so his return for Clon last weekend is a lift for the player and the club.
When the Clonakilty man burst on the scene with Cork in 2019 he made an instant impact in the Cork half-back line and is highly regarded at club and county levels. He has had more injury woes than most, having also torn his ACL in July 2020. His presence in both Cork and Clon camps is important too, with Cork captain Brian Hurley outlining his importance: ‘He is unbelievable for our set-up. He will be a big boost to have in our corner this year.’