Cork star Alan Connolly: 'I've been in a dark place the past three years. My mind is at ease now'

A shoulder injury kept the Blackrock star out of action until last summer.

Tue, 12 Mar, 2024 - 06:52

John Fogarty

Alan Connolly believes his injury woes are fully behind him after being in “a dark place” the past couple of seasons.

The 22-year-old spectacularly marked his first appearance for Cork in 21 months with three goals in Tullamore on Sunday. It also bridged a six-month gap to his last competitive appearance as a substitute in Blackrock’s county premier SHC quarter-final loss to Sarsfields.

A shoulder injury kept Connolly out of action until last summer when a hamstring issue flared up and his appearances for the club were largely restricted to cameo ones.

After the Offaly game, Pat Ryan revealed he has never been faster and the player has never felt better since becoming a Cork senior hurler.

“Ah look, I probably haven't been fit the past three years. I've been injured, carrying something. It's kind of great to play with a bit of freedom. You can see out there, I hope I look a bit freer anyway, kind of the mind at ease anyway. It's kind of hard carrying the injuries. Thankfully now I'm kind of over it.

“Everything is fine now thank God. I have the physios to thank there, Sinead Murphy and Colm Coakley so I'm delighted to be back, playing with freedom.

“I've been in a dark place the past three years I'd say, like. My mind is at ease now, it's great just coming to training, not worrying about your shoulder or anything.”

Connolly’s wasn’t making a big deal out of his hat-trick of goals, which might have been four but for a first-half save by Mark Troy. “I don’t know, I’m just lazy and stay around the goal and take my chances,” he smiled.

He credited the movement of his team-mates in pulling the Offaly defence out of shape to create the openings for him. “There was loads of space inside to be fair for me, I have the lads to thank out the field.”

With Patrick Horgan and Robbie O’Flynn not part of the matchday panel that travelled to Tullamore, Connolly appreciates the battle for starting places is going to be fierce.

“There are a lot of lads at home who can easily do what the lads did on the pitch. The competition in training at the moment is unbelievable and it’s great to see. There’s a good bite in training.

“We’re still figuring out the team and stuff. I haven’t played in eight months so I’m still trying to figure it out as well. Lads are coming back from injury, Robbie O’Flynn and those lads, so it’ll be really good in training.”

Ignorance is bliss for Connolly regarding next year’s seven-team Division 1A, for which Cork have now all but qualified courtesy of the 27-point win on Sunday. “I don't even know what the rule is, what is it?”

He does know that beating Wexford on Saturday gives them a chance of making a Division 1 semi-final. “If we win next week, we could be in a league semi but we don’t know. We’re in the unknown. We take it week by week, I take it day by day, to be honest with you.”