Duhallow boss Ger O’Sullivan pays glowing tribute to Donncha O’Connor as he looks to score his way into Cork SFC final
AHEAD of this weekend’s semi-finals, there is a familiar name at the top of the scoring charts in the Cork Premier Senior Football Championship.
With 0-26 to his credit from six outings to date, no player has been more prolific than Donncha O’Connor — not bad for a man who turned 42 earlier this year.
More than two decades since he made his Duhallow debut, co-captain O’Connor remains a vital cog in the wheel for the divisional side.
And as they prepare for Sunday’s bid to oust reigning champions Nemo Rangers, the hope for the 2010 Sam Maguire winner is that the best is yet to come.
O’Connor was 37 when he called time on an inter-county career that also yielded four Munster SFC titles and three National Leagues with Cork. Yet five years later, his pursuit of a coveted county medal continues.
Duhallow boss Ger O’Sullivan was one of Conor Counihan’s selectors when the Rebels claimed the All-Ireland 13 years ago.
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And he told SunSport: “The first thing you’d say about Donncha is that he absolutely lives for it.
“Going right back to when he started out with Cork around 2006, his approach has always been extremely professional. You could say that about nearly every player in a sense but Donncha is a bit unique in that he’s been doing it for so long.
“He has also done it while playing as a key forward and being targeted, not necessarily in a negative way but he’s in the centre of the battle all the time.
“He just looks after himself so, so well. With any injury or even a little niggle, he leaves no stone unturned with his recovery. He’s always at training and he’s just unreal.
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“For a fella of 42 years of age to be performing to the level that he is, it’s amazing. But it’s great that he’s still enjoying it and he’s a fantastic leader for us on and off the field.”
One of the stars of the last Cork side to be crowned All-Ireland champions, O’Connor kicked five points in the 0-16 to 0-15 win over Down in the 2010 decider.
The man from Ballydesmond had been particularly influential in the semi-final victory over Dublin.
After holding his nerve to beat Stephen Cluxton with a penalty, he finished with a personal tally of 1-5 as Cork came from five points down to win by one.
Despite helping Duhallow reach the Cork showpiece in 2012, 2018 and 2019, O’Connor has yet to get his hands on the Andy Scannell Cup.
O’Sullivan — who coached Duhallow to their last county title in 1991 — admits that it would be a fitting swansong for O’Connor to finally accomplish that aim.
But he insisted: “We’re not even looking that far. I don’t think it’s fair or realistic to put that kind of pressure on players. It might sound strange going into a game like this but we’re not even dreaming about a county final, even at this stage. Nemo are the kingpins and all the players in Duhallow would look up to them, how they’ve been there or thereabouts every year for so long.
“The guys that Donncha is playing with, some of them have never played at this level before so it’s fantastic for them. They really look up to him. He’s so good in how he brings them along.
“Even though he might not always say much to them, he knows what kind of leadership is required. He leads from centre-forward, encouraging the lads throughout the game, he’s excellent at that.
“When Donncha won an All-Ireland with Cork, a lot of these fellas would have been so young that they were only starting to play football as children.
“To now have a chance to play in games at this level with a fella like Donncha is huge for them.”