“I’m not here to make up numbers” – Donohue

Returning Redleg and Premiership player, Josh Donohue said it took a quick conversation with Brady Dawe to help convince him to come back to Parade for season 2019.

Donohue, who has been playing local football at Payneham, said the decision to come back at the age of 30 started in September last year during the 2018 Grand Final.

As the Redlegs fell to a shock 19-point loss at the hands of North Adelaide, Donohue felt frustration with a numb feeling of knowing he wasn’t able to help his mates on the biggest day in September.

“In terms of motivation to come back, it started when i was watching the boys play in the Grand Final against North Adelaide,” said Donohue.

“I was really nervous for the boys and found it extremely difficult to watch knowing I couldn’t help in anyway.

A few weeks past and I ran into Brady Dawe at the shops, Brady said ‘you should come back out to Norwood, I replied in a joking manner “yeah no worries”… thinking nothing of it.

“20 minutes later I had a call from Cotts (Jarrod Cotton), we had a brief chat and before you know it, I was running a two kilometre time trial,” Donohue said jokingly.

Donohue went onto say that he has really enjoyed his time back at Norwood already and has adjusted well to the speed and intensity of training at League level.

“Training has been fantastic,” Donohue said.

“We start at 5:45 and are pretty much off at 7:30 – they are short, sharp and intense training sessions.

“The first couple of weeks it took me a while to get back into the swing of things, all the guys looked super sharp with their skills.

“I thought I was in over my head at the start, but now I’m finding my feet.”

With Donohue tipped to cover the absence of retired superstar Simon Phillips, he has made it clear he isn’t back at the Parade to make up the numbers and is firmly set on playing every week at the highest level.

“It’s very simple, I’m looking to play senior football in 2019,” Donohue said.

“I’m not here to make up numbers, I want to play a role for the team and hope that it improves us in some way.

“Hopefully as a club we can go one step further in 2019.”

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