Connors ready for action

WATERFORD’S All Star corner-back Noel Connors has dismissed injury fears following last Sunday night’s seven-point victory against Tipperary in a glamour inter-county challenge.

Connors appeared to be carrying an injury as he left the Holycross/Ballycahill pitch but assured Déise followers that his late substitution was down to nothing more serious than fatigue.

Connors had played an U21 championship match with Passage on the previous day, when his club overturned a six-point deficit with seven minutes remaining to beat Mount Sion 3-11 to 0-13.

Connors then lined out from the start against Tipperary but came off in the closing minutes.

“It was to give me a break,” he said.

“We’ll have a few more challenge matches and trainings coming up so I don’t want to be burned out before the match against Limerick (June 12).”

Connors also revealed that Richie Foley, who has been in high-scoring form from play and placed balls this year, is working his way back to fitness after the versatile Abbeyside star tore a hamstring against Offaly in early April.

“Richie should be back in the next week or two. He’s running in straight lines, building himself back up. He’ll be okay for Limerick.”

Connors, meanwhile, will complete his third year business studies course at Waterford IT with his final summer examination in human resources management this afternoon.

Already this year, the hard-working defender was honoured with WIT’s business student of the year award.

And the double Harty Cup and Croke Cup medallist with De La Salle is conscious of bringing a similar work ethic to his studies.

“The only way to look at it is take every day as it comes.

“If you look too far into the future, you’ll put yourself on a downer. The way things are gone with jobs, you have to make your own luck.

“Put your effort into study and you will get the results, plus you become a better and more rounded person to employ.

“I believe that your future is in your own hands. I grew up with the mentality from my father that you get out what you put in. It applies to going into a match or an exam.

“If you don’t study, you’re not going to pass and hurling’s the same.

“If you don’t go out and train, that will count against you on match day and you won’t realise your potential.”

Connors also believes Dublin’s victory in the recent Allianz HL Division One final against Kilkenny will bring “a different dimension” to this year’s championship but he warned that anybody writing off Kilkenny’s chances of September glory will do so at their peril.

“Dublin are bringing a different dimension to it with physicality and fitness.

“Kilkenny got the brunt of it but Kilkenny’s sights are set on September. They wouldn’t want to be beaten in a league final or any match but they’ll get back on track in Leinster.

“There’s no better team to do that or no better manager than Brian Cody.

“And they have the conveyor belt of players to come back in.

“They took a lot of hits during the campaign with injury. Against us, JJ Delaney did his hamstring and Tommy Walsh his shoulder. The week after they played Offaly and you had Michael Fennelly, Aidan Fogarty and John Dalton getting injured.

“You look at those names to realise the kind of firepower they do have and they can even put it up to the rest of us without their full team.”