Another cameo against Edinburgh followed before the 31-year-old made his first start since his return as Anthony Foley's side secured their GUINNESS PRO12 semi-final spot with a 30-19 win against Benetton Treviso last time out.
With Leinster's Devin Toner also impressing for Ireland in recent months, O'Connell is confident the second-row position for club and country is in his good hands.
And the veteran lock insists whether or not Munster claim the GUINNESS PRO12 crown will not be a factor in any decision over his future.
"I think second row in Ireland is in a great position," O'Connell told the Irish Examiner.
"It's been great in recent weeks in Munster to see Donnacha Ryan come back, he's a great player with a phenomenal engine. It's hard to believe he didn't run for 10-12 months. He's in incredible condition.
"Same with Ireland, Devin Toner's probably one of Ireland's most consistent performers at the moment so we're in a good place for second rows in Ireland.
"I'm enjoying my time at Munster as much now, if not more than I did when we won the Heineken Cups in 2006 and 2008.
"If winning trophies was the reason to keep playing or stop playing, there'd be a lot of people would stop playing. There's only a certain amount of people pick up medals at the end of the season, to me it doesn't make a difference to the decision."
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