The goal was a fitting final flourish to what had been a dream-like season for Kerry’s Joe O’Connor.
In the dying seconds of Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC final, O’Connor skipped by a Jamie Brennan tackle in front of the Hill 16 goal, eyed Shaun Patton and drilled the ball to the back of the Donegal net. The stadium erupted. The job done.
It was his second goal of the summer – his first coming against Cork in the Munster semi-final.
“I actually was getting a good few goal chances during the season but I had to work on it because in the Tyrone game I was ballooning them over the bar and stuff, so I actually worked on it for the last few weeks and was chatting a good bit to the keepers and stuff,” says O’Connor.
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“But it was a rush of blood really, I just had a pop. It was class feeling, at the Hill and just the way the game was probably over at that stage as well, it was very special.”
The final whistle sounded seconds later, bringing an end to what was a special season for 25-year-old O’Connor, who despite making his championship debut in 2022 became something of an overnight sensation this summer.
He started all nine of Kerry’s championship games and the former Munster rugby player is almost certain to pick up an All Star before the year is out. But his story is one of resilience and perseverance.
After starring for county champions Austin Stacks in 2021, O’Connor was nominated by his club to captain Kerry in 2022.
However, it was a tricky season for O’Connor who suffered a knee injury in a Munster club final defeat to St Finbarr’s of Cork in January and ultimately he had to be satisfied with coming in off the bench for Kerry that season.
He was introduced in injury-time of the 2022 All-Ireland final but then in September, O’Connor suffered a cruciate knee ligament tear.
“It was a tricky enough year probably being captain and getting token minutes and getting probably five or six minutes off the bench, it was just a weird enough position for me,” he recalls.
“But I always kind of knew that I wanted to, I wasn’t happy with that and I wanted to break in, and I just felt like I wouldn’t stop until I would be a starter. I wanted to be a starter and try to be a big player.”
The cruciate injury could have been a terminal setback but instead O’Connor used the time away from the pitch to work on other areas of his preparation while also trying to enjoy the downtime.
“I got to focus on other things as well. I was able to go off travelling for a month, I remember my brother’s stag for his wedding that you’d never probably be able to go on. So those were things you were able to appreciate.
“I tried to flip it into a positive as much as I could. Then being able to train and get into as the best shape possible in your own routine, that was huge as well.”
O’Connor’s aerial ability and physical presence in the middle third made him an invaluable player for Kerry this year, but when he looked inside the sight of David Clifford looking for possession made his decision-making easier.
“His ceiling is so high. He’s absolutely unbelievable player and a top man as well, so we’re just lucky to have him, same with Seánie, Paudie, people double up on David, you’ve Seánie free or Paudie free. It’s just the options we have.”
O’Connor is now a two-time All-Ireland senior football championship winner.
“It’s very special, to be honest. There’s probably an expectation down in Kerry that you should be winning plenty of them but we know that’s not the case, you have to just work so hard every year.
“You’re never entitled to them so we just really appreciate them. It’s so hard to win them and that’s what makes it so special.”
