Alan O’Connor enjoys Cork return as Kerry loom on horizon

For a long time on Sunday in Páirc Uí Rinn, it was 2010 all over again — the Cork footballers had a huge physical presence in the middle of the field, dictating the terms of engagement against Clare in the Munster SFC semi-final, and the whole team benefited as a result.

Alan O’Connor was prominent for the Rebels on his first championship start since retiring two seasons ago, and the midfielder outlined the circumstances of his return to inter-county football after the game.

“I got a phonecall,” said the big man from St Colum’s. “I suppose it’s always in the back of your mind, the big days down in Killarney, the big days in Croke Park.

“That’s something that’d stick with you, it’s a feeling that you’d never really lose. You’d always think that if you had an opportunity you might go back. I thought long and hard about it, and I think I’ve done the right thing.

“It wasn’t an instant decision. I went away and mulled it over a bit, and I’m happy enough with it.”

O’Connor wasn’t fazed by the pace of the Munster championship, having soldiered in the engine room for so long in the past: “It was what I expected, it’s a championship game and nobody is going to back down or give away anything in a championship game. You get belts, you have to take it and get on with it, and you enjoy it.

“The big points from the game are that we put up a good score, and we were also able to empty the bench to give lads a run — that’s important.”

As a midfielder he was quick to compliment ’keeper Ken O’Halloran on the variety in his kick-outs. O’Halloran didn’t just blast it at the biggest man on the Cork team but tried different outlets also.

“He did [vary it], that was important. Obviously the kick-outs are an important part of the game, we want to get the ball up the field as quick as we can, and Ken was able to find men in pockets at various stages of the game, so that worked well.”

The reward for Sunday’s win is a Munster final against Kerry in Killarney. As befits a man who’s come back, O’Connor wasn’t dawdling in focusing on the Kingdom.

“I was training away the whole time, that was going well and I put the head down and just got on with it [back with Cork]. I was lucky enough that I was going well and staying fit anyway, that helped.

“We don’t have time to waste now, we have to regroup and focus, to get everyone on the right track and into the right frame of mind for three weeks’ time.”