ABSENCE, they say, makes the heart grow fonder, and that definitely appears to have been the case with Roy O'Donovan and the Newcastle Jets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
At the end of last A-League season, they went their separate ways, even though each was clearly still burning a candle for the other.
The Jets wanted to re-sign O'Donovan, but apparently on their terms, with certain clauses in the deal that would have triggered a second season.
O'Donovan figured he could do better, took his services to the market and eventually signed a two-year deal with Brisbane Roar.
As break-ups go, it was amicable enough, but O'Donovan's return this week, after gaining an early release from the Roar, would suggest maybe he and the Jets should never have split in the first place.
Certainly Newcastle could have used the Irish striker's goals this season.
The six he scored in 12 games for Brisbane could well have helped the Jets win a game or two, and they might not currently be last on the ladder.
And given that O'Donovan had bought a house in Newcastle, it must have been a wrench for him to call in the removalists and head north.
Sometimes the grass is not always greener elsewhere.
True love, however, will always find a way, and their reunion shapes as a win-win situation.
The Jets have offered O'Donovan much more than just a contract for the next 18 months. They can provide something that has been elusive throughout his career - the chance to leave a lasting legacy.
O'Donovan can feel rightfully proud of what he has achieved in 15 years as a professional footballer.
He was good enough in his younger days to play for Sunderland in the Premier League, and he has no doubt earned a healthy living from the sport that became his job. But he has also been, without wanting to sound disrespectful, a journeyman, rarely spending more than a couple of seasons at any club.
A quick glance at his CV reveals he has played for Cork City, Sunderland, Dundee United, Blackpool, Southend, Hartlepool, Coventry, Hibernian, Northampton Town, the Crown Prince of Brunei FC, Persatuan Sepakbola Mitra Kukar (Indonesia), Central Coast Mariners, the Jets and Brisbane.
O'Donovan has presumably made a lot of friends along the way, enjoyed some unique life experiences and banked a few quid in the process.
But the Jets now represent his best, and probably last, chance to leave memories that will linger long after his playing days are over.
O'Donovan was already a crowd favourite when he left Newcastle last year.
He's a goalscorer, for starters. His A-League career strike rate (45 goals from 92 games, at 48.9 per cent), is higher than all but a handful of players in the competition's history.
With 20 goals from 35 games for Newcastle, only Joel Griffiths (34) is ahead of him in the club's record books.
It would be quite feasible that O'Donovan's name ends up on top of that list.
Fans also appreciate the heart-on-his-sleeve passion he shows each time he takes the field.
Sometimes, of course, this insatiable will to win has been his undoing, most notably when he was sent off in the 2017-18 A-League grand final for a reckless feet-first lunge that struck Melbourne Victory goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas in the face. The foul, labelled "possibly the most dangerous play ever made in the A-League" by the disciplinary-committee chairman, earned O'Donovan a 10-game ban.
Critics were quick to point out that it was not his first offence, after a head-butting incident involving Wellington defender Manny Muscat.
"The quicker we get O'Donovan out of the @ALeague the better. The dirtiest player that's ever disgraced this league," was the damning assessment of former Sydney FC and Melbourne City goalkeeper Clint Bolton on Twitter.
Yet in his 31 games since returning from that suspension, O'Donovan has received only four yellow cards. So much for the perception of him being an undisciplined "Irish hooligan", to borrow his own words.
The lynch mob are unlikely to change their opinions, but the people who count most - O'Donovan's teammates - have welcomed him back with open arms.
They know his true qualities, both on and off the field.
Now O'Donovan has the opportunity to repay the faith Jets officials have shown in him, and perhaps finish his career on a triumphant note.
He'll be turning 36 when his contract with Newcastle ends and is such a good athlete and professional he could probably play on for another season or two after that.
The Jets are at a low ebb, but that was the case when O'Donovan arrived at the start of the 2017-18 season.
At the time, they were the incumbent wooden spooners, but little more than six months later they were hosting a grand final, and desperately unlucky to lose.
His 11 goals in that campaign played a key role in the turnaround.
If he can help inspire a similar revival, the final seasons of his career might yet prove the ones for which he is best remembered.
