Roscommon forward Donie Shine is looking to put a disappointing 2014 behind him as he edges closer to a national football league return from injury, and eagerly awaits the 2015 club season under newly appointed Clan na nGael manager Paul Curran.
Curran was confirmed as the famous south Roscommon club’s manager over the weekend, two years after the three-time Dublin All Star guided Ballymun Kickhams to the All-Ireland club final.
Any ambitions to guide the 19-time county champions to a first senior championship in almost two decades will be bolstered by the return of Shine whose 2014 season was cut short by a ruptured posterior cruciate ligament injury last June.
Plan set
The 2010 All Star nominee is almost back into running training, anticipating a return to action for the back-end of the FBD League pre-season provincial tournament in the new year, and eyeing a full return for the national football league.
“I’m not back running yet,” he says. “I’m doing a few things in the gym for it but I can’t start running, I still have to wait for the go ahead for that. I plan to be back doing a bit in training after Christmas though and hopefully I’ll be back fully running by then and can be ready to feature for a few minutes maybe at the end of the FBD league. It’s been tough but hopefully that’s the end of the injuries now.”
Shine was carried off after 54 minutes of Roscommon's Connacht championship semi final defeat to Mayo last June after landing awkwardly on his knee. The talented marksmen had already missed much of the 2014 league campaign with a hamstring complaint.
Outside influence
While his sights will be firmly set on a successful rehabilitation and a subsequently injury free season with Roscommon, Shine can also look forward to joining up with his club panel in the new year under the guidance of Curran.
“It’s great to get someone like Paul coming in, we’ve got a very strong underage system coming through so I presume his experience will be a big help to bring those young guys on to the next level.
“Then when you match them with the experienced guys we have, and I think with a man like Paul with all of his experience it should hopefully turn out to be a brilliant appointment for the club. Maybe we can start to get back competing with the big boys then at the end of the summer.”
The 1995 All-Ireland winner and Footballer of the Year, Curran is currently based in Lucan an hours drive from the Athlone-bordering Clan na nGael club. Club officials have added that:
"It's no secret in Roscommon GAA circles that Clann na nGael have cast their net wide in a search for a new senior mentor. In Paul, we have the right man to take advantage at senior level of the impressive underage conveyor belt of talent that has been produced."
Tradition
The south Roscommon side are one steeped in tradition with stalwarts such as Tony McManus amongst their illustrious list of former players, they won seven Connacht titles in eight years back in the 1980’s and appeared in four consecutive All-Ireland finals, although they won none of such.
Today the big boys in Roscommon are 2012 All-Ireland champions St Brigid’s. The five-in-a-row county champions earlier this month announced the appointment of their own outside manager, former Kilmacud Crokes and Louth manager Paddy Carr.
The vastly experienced Donegal man was a nominee for the recent vacancy in his native county and previously led Kilmacud to a Leinster title in 2008, whilst Curran who is renowned for his professional approach had formed part of Jim Gavin’s previous backroom team with the Dublin Under-21 team.
Shine will hope the outside managers will bring a fresh approach and new ideas to Roscommon football as the county compete in the second tier of the national league for the first time since 2008 next year, and go in search of a first provincial title in five years.
