By John Harrington

Ciarán Sheehan has lived a sporting life less ordinary.

An underage dual star with the Cork minor and U21 footballers and hurlers, he won a senior All-Ireland football title with the Rebels in 2010 while still a teenager.

After being awarded Player of the Series in Ireland’s 2013 International Rules Series triumph over Australia, he signed a two-year contract with AFL club Carlton.

He won an award for the club’s Best First Year Player after the 2014 season, but ultimately his time Down Under was badly hampered by hamstring injuries.

When he returned to Ireland he played one more year of inter-county football in 2020 before a knee injury forced him into retirement the following year.

It looked at that stage like big days in Croke Park were very much a thing of the past for Sheehan, but fate has dictated otherwise.

Last year he transferred from his club Éire Óg to play hurling with Russell Rovers in Shanagarry where he now lives with his wife Amy and on Sunday he’ll captain them in the AIB All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship Final against St. Lachtain’s of Kilkenny.

The last of the summer wine is usually sweetest of all, and Sheehan is loving this expected late chapter to his sporting career.

“Honestly and I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s a dream come through,” says Sheehan. “I certainly didn’t see myself ever getting back to Croke Park to be totally honest with you. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of a year.

“As you say, it’s been quite a varied sporting career but one that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed to be totally honest. I’m 34 years of age now and you could say I’m coming to the end but it’s certainly a place I never thought I’d be at this stage.

“I’ve captured already some very special moments between winning the county and the Munster and having the kids there and being able to get some great snaps with them.

“Your priorities change over the years, your motivations change over the years, it’s something that I’m really enjoying. It’s a slight change I suppose.

“The competitiveness and motivation remains the same, that burning desire to win is always there. But to do it in a different environment and a fresh environment for me, it’s really exciting. I’ve been lucky enough to really engrained in the club and in the community.

“I’ve approached things a little bit differently as I’ve gotten older in terms of being able to relax a small bit more and enjoy the game rather than get too uptight about everything. It’s been something that I’ve certainly really loved and I’m really excited about the day on Sunday.”

“I’m honoured to be captain of the group,” says Sheehan. “I suppose there was a freshness coming into the group overall. There was new management, Donal Óg came in as coach. I suppose the view was that we’d refresh the whole thing, we’ll come at it from a different angle, and it’s worked so far anyway, we’ve just one more to tick off.

“I’m surrounded by very strong leaders that have led this club over the last number of years and I’ve leaned on them hugely. It’s a collective leadership style that has brought us through all of this year.

“It’s rewarding and I’m very honoured but, at the end of the day, it’s about going out and representing the club in a way that is relentless in the pursuit to win.”

“He’s been brilliant,” says Sheehan. “Donal Óg was involved with a lot of these players with St. Colman’s who are an amalgamation club underage of Russell Rovers and Cloyne. He has worked closely with them and to have his experience and knowledge of the game, he’s a legend of the game really in terms of what he’s achieved on the field and off the field at this stage.

“What the team needed I suppose was Donal Óg. He is the exact person in so far as he’s very disciplined, very direct, very particular about his coaching which is important for us. It gave us structure, it gave us an inspiration. When Donal Óg talks you listen and that’s it.

“It’s been a new lease of life for the group both in terms of having him out there every night out training in the the middle of all of us, directing us and telling us what to do and what not to do. It’s inspiring for us and it has brought a huge motivating factor but also a real solid structure to the group.”