No social media, no fear, no playing it down: Ben O’Connor speaks his mind

The new Cork hurling manager on pressure, criticism, enjoyment, ambition and why he refuses to shy away from expectations

REBEL LEADER: Cork Manager Ben O'Connor. Pic: Natasha Barton/Inpho

21 minutes with Ben O’Connor. 21 minutes of flowing Cork frankness. Difficult to know where to start. So many standout remarks. No question shirked. Forthright and unfiltered replies from first utterance to last.

To give you a flavour of the conversation, here’s a collection of snippets from the new Cork hurling manager.