Mark O’Connor: The Dingle boys will be under the coffin someday. It just means the world

The Geelong man played a starring role for his hoe club on Sunday.

Dingle’s Mark O’Connor celebrates with former AFL team mate Cameron Guthrie. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie

What a thing. AFL star Mark O’Connor, back with his club to help them to a County, Munster and All-Ireland title.

O’Connor added to his two All-Ireland minors and two Hogan Cups with an All-Ireland club title on Sunday as Dingle saw off St Brigid’s in extra-time.

“It means everything,” he said post-match.

“It was actually very strange to see a few Geelong faces in the crowd next to my family. It's been 10 years since I've played here and obviously never played here in the red and white so there's a lot of emotion coming in which wasn't easy to keep a lid on.

One of the streets was actually lined with Dingle people on the way in on the bus. Some fellas were probably trying to avoid it just because the emotions were probably getting a bit too high.” Seated beside captain Paul Geaney, an emotional O’Connor was in dreamland afterwards.

“It means the world. As Paul said, the club is everything. With the stuff of inter-county fellas who will come to the weddings and all that kind of stuff which is great, but it is the Dingle boys that will be under the coffin someday. It just means the world.

“We have such a small population but it's a quality population. It was just great to see all those faces in the stand today.” 

For the third successive game, O’Connor was on the scoresheet. He kicked a terrific two-pointer just after half-time to leave it level. The fact they he was granted permission to play by Geelong was extremely appreciated.

“They've been phenomenal and they didn't actually need any convincing.

“With the Munster campaign, we won the county championship and I was like, ‘This is everything, this is the best thing ever.’ I was going to go and do right by Geelong now and be back for day one and ready to go. The more that I thought about it, the more that I was like, it will keep me fit anyway. I love this club. I couldn't watch it. I knew I couldn't watch it. So then I was like, can I get two more games and they needed no convincing.” 

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After their victory against St Finbarr’s, he made the call again. The Victoria-based club made it clear they understood how much it meant to him.

“Then as soon as that happened, there was talk of the other players coming over and actually supporting me, which is something else.

“I suppose when I was thinking of professional sport, I thought of something completely different where it was cutthroat and fight for your spot every day.

“You're probably competing against the fella next to you, so it mightn't be so friendly, but it couldn't have been any more different with Geelong.

“I've said it before, but I wouldn't still be in Australia if it wasn't for Geelong. I'm just so grateful to them and how they've handled all of this.”