O'Callaghan: Hopefully this is the year we put Limerick to bed
There are plenty of markers to display the trust Pat Ryan places in Conor O’Callaghan.
The Cork corner-back mightn’t have made his Championship debut yet but after an injury-disrupted season, he’s hoping to make that leap in 2024.
Ryan made the Dromtarriffe dual star his U20 captain in 2020 and he lifted the James Nowlan Cup as the Rebels ended their All-Ireland drought at that grade in the covid-delayed final.
He spent 2022 in with the Rebel footballers but knee surgery on an MCL tear and a hamstring injury obstructed his progress. That September, Ryan was first to pick up the phone to O’Callaghan upon his appointment to the senior post.
The guarantee of getting game time and a chance to impress convinced him to cross the dual divide. He played every minute of their first two National League games, victories over Limerick and Galway, before a pair of hamstring tears curtailed his year.
Most recently, O’Callaghan cites being asked to attend the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League launch on the Rebels’ behalf as a further vote of confidence in his ability to represent himself well both on and off the field.
When it comes to aims beyond his personal goal of a clear run of fitness, the 23-year-old is singing off the same hymn sheet as his boss.
He may not be old enough to remember Ben O’Connor’s goal, Seán Óg’s speech, or any of the 2005 final but he’s determined that another Rebel drought be brought to a close.
“I have no recollection of the game or anything unfortunately but it is a big driver for us,” says O’Callaghan.
“We know it's been too long since Cork have won a senior All-Ireland in hurling. We won the football in 2010 so there's been no All-Ireland for 13, 14 years in the county which is disappointing.
“But we're the ones now who are in a position to do something about it so hopefully we can bring back silverware in the coming years to Leeside.
“We've had a lot of underage success in the past number of years now, minor, under-21, under-20, so there’s a good group there at the moment.
“We haven’t won one since 2005 so bringing back an All-Ireland is the main aim.”
The shadow of Limerick’s four-in-a-row champions looms over all challengers although there was no more than a puck of the ball between the sides in any of their encounters with Cork last season.
“We’d three good games with them in the League, the Munster League, and the Championship, and there was only a point in each game we played them in,” O’Callaghan notes.
“That will give us good confidence going into the coming year that we're not that far away.
“It’s something to build on so hopefully when the summer comes around again, we’ll have a good crack off of them and hopefully put them to bed this time.
“We’re both good hurling teams on the ball, getting the ball to hand, quick hurling into the boys inside in the full-forward line, and letting them do the damage. In that respect, we're very similar.
“Our main aim would be to hurt them that way, get the ball into our forwards, and try to get their defenders running back towards their own goal.”
Had Cork managed to summon a leveller that day against Limerick, O’Callaghan could have been fit enough to play some role in the All-Ireland series.
He was back training, where he takes inspiration from selector Wayne Sherlock, “a proper hardy corner-back”, and his message to attack the ball.
Instead faced with a summer off, many of the younger Rebel hurlers chose to travel to America but O’Callaghan, a Dairygold employee in the office at Lombardstown Mill, chose to stay home to get a full run with his club.
There’s also the family farm, with a dairy herd of around 60 cows to keep him occupied.
“I just wanted to get back playing with my club when I was able to get some game time under the belt before championship started again so I stayed put.
“It might be something in the future but hopefully we'll be in the Championship until the end of July this year and I won't have time to go away. We'll see how it goes.”
The ship has sailed on the notion of being a dual player but O’Callaghan says he’s proud to represent Cork whatever the code.
“I was on the football panel the year before and then Pat Ryan rang me early enough, in September. He was on to me a lot earlier than the footballers. I decided to go with the hurling then. When he was involved, it was a big factor.
“I love both sports equally. You’d never know, I suppose. I’m happy with the hurling at the moment. I just want to give it a good rattle this year and next year or whenever I get the chance.
“Whenever you get a chance to put on a Cork jersey you’re not going to turn it down, football or hurling.”
He’s the first Dromtarriffe player to line out at senior for Cork and he does his bit in the local schools to try to get the numbers up in the rural club. After all, he adds, those kids could be his future teammates.
The trail he’s blazing is a matter of significant pride and excitement back home.
“Even at Mass on a Sunday morning, they'd be coming over asking you ‘Are you training hard?’ or talking about games. It's great.
“There are lots of people around me involved in Cork GAA stewarding. There's a bit of a buzz around.
“People were disappointed last year when I got injured, there was a good chance to have someone (from the club) playing there, but hopefully this year I can drive on again and they'll be following me no doubt.”
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