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 8 September 2004 By Noel Horgan The Corkman | |||
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FIVE years ago, Ben O’Connor became the first Newtownshandrum hurler to win an All-Ireland senior medal when he lined out at left corner-forward on the Cork team that upset the odds against Kilkenny in the final.
And next Sunday at Croke Park, the ace attacker will be hoping to create another little bit of history by becoming the first Newtown clubman, and indeed the first player from Avondhu, to skipper Cork to championship glory.
In the wake of last year’s final defeat by Kilkenny, it goes without saying that the desire for revenge will be a huge spur to Donal O’Grady’s charges when they renew rivalry with the Noresiders in the showpiece.
But perhaps no Cork player will be more highly motivated for the re-match with the Cats than Ben O’Connor, and not solely because he will have the honour of lifting the cherished Liam McCarthy Cup should the Rebels prevail.
The fact is that Ben didn’t have the happiest of outings in the 2003 decider, although he was a bit unlucky at the same time to be called ashore before the finish.
Kept firmly under wraps by JJ Delaney for three-quarters of the game, he began to move a bit more menacingly after the latter was switched to corner-back where he similarly curbed the threat from Setanta O hAilpín in the closing stages.
But, if Ben O’Connor had cause to feel a little aggrieved by the selectors’ decision to replace him near the end, there is no denying that his overall display didn’t reach the high standard that he had regularly produced since he first broke into the Cork senior team in 1999.
Ben made his championship debut in the Munster semi-final against Waterford that year.
And his selection was something of a surprise in that he wasn’t a member of the first fifteen when Cork completed the two-in-a-row at u-21 level in 1998, although he did make an appearance as a substitute in the final against Galway.
But the decision by the then Cork team coach Jimmy Barry-Murphy to give youth its fling in ‘99 meant that Ben was one of six players to receive an opportunity to sample life in the top flight for the first time against the Decies.
And he contributed generously in attack as Cork came out on top against Waterford before going on to claim hurling’s top prize by virtue of subsequent victories over Clare, Offaly and Kilkenny, in turn, bridging a nine-year gap for the Rebel County in the process.
Since then, Ben has built up a reputation as one of the most accomplished and consistent forwards in the game.
Even in 2002 when Cork, largely because of internal turmoil, endured a dismal championship campaign, he was one of the few players on the team to acquit himself admirably.
And his form this season, adorned by his free-taking expertise that could have tilted the scales in Cork’s favour had it been used last year against Kilkenny, has been sufficently impressive to suggest that he can atone for his rare off-day in the 2003 All-Ireland final when he again comes into direct opposition with JJ Delaney next Sunday.
A prodigious talent, Ben was just 17 when he played a starring role in Newtownshandrum’s county intermediate triumph in 1996.
He won an All-Ireland Vocational Schools medal with Mannix College, Charleville in 1997, and the following year he picked up the first of three county u-21 medals with Newtown.
Having spent two years on the Cork minor team without winning as much as a Munster medal, he received his initial taste of success on the inter-county front with the u-21s in ’98.
A key figure during Newtown’s historic march to county senior hurling championship glory in 2000, he was chosen to captain Cork in 2001 when the team — hit by an injury crisis that ruled out Seán Og O hAilpín and Fergal McCormack, and prevented Brian Corcoran from starting — fell at the first hurdle in Munster to Limerick.
And, in light of the defeat by Waterford in this year’s Munster final, it would be true to say that Ben hasn’t been a particularly lucky captain for Cork up to now.
Hopefully, his fortunes will take a turn for the better in this regard next Sunday, and the destination of the trophy could well hinge on the outcome of his individual collision with JJ Delaney, unquestionably one of the most complete defenders in the game, and voted hurler-of-the-year in 2003.
Delaney has been magnificent with Kilkenny again this year, not least in the All-Ireland semi-final when he comprehensively mastered Dan Shanahan, who had played such a huge part in Waterford’s successful provincial campaign.
But Ben O’Connor has a point to prove on Sunday, and it’s hardly beyond the bounds of possibility that the speedy Newtown stylist, scorer of 2-27 in Cork’s six championship outings to date, will exhibit his rich array of skills to the full against Delaney this time.
Last March, he turned in a typically devastating display at Croke Park during Newtown’s All-Ireland club final triumph over Dunloy of Antrim.
And it would indeed set the seal on a truly memorable year for Ben, and twin brother Jerry, whose regular inclusion on the team at midfield this season has been a crucial factor in the team’s progress, if Cork manage to turn the tables on Brian Cody’s men.
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