That is what colleges’ GAA is all about.
Con O’Callaghan has won it all in the last 12 months.
All-Ireland club SHC
U21 Leinster football
U21 All-Ireland football
Leinster SFC
All-Ireland SFC
All-Star⭐
Young Footballer of the Year
Dublin club SHC
Leinster club SHC
Sigerson Cup
He’s won so much in that calendar year. So much, that if it was ever possible to get a little bit bored of winning, he’d be the first man to become just that.
After adding a Sigerson Cup medal to that collection on Saturday, when his UCD side narrowly edged NUIG to glory in Santry, it’s clear that this man is as hungry as ever.
The Cuala man worked exceptionally hard for every ball in the dirty conditions in the semi-final in a boggy Inniskeen on Wednesday. Con is no fair day player.
He thrown himself tirelessly about the pitch. He was wired up and hassled and harried his UUJ opponents to the extent that he came to blows with them on different occasions.
It was the same in the decider. He mightn’t have went to town in terms of scoring, but the importance of his unflinching work-rate reaped rewards for his fellow forwards.
O’Callaghan, speaking to Jerome Quinn, buzzed at how “sweet” this victory was. And these weren’t just false words. You could see it in his performances last Wednesday and on Saturday. He had missed the preceding games due to his club commitments with the Cuala hurlers, but he kept in touch and was longing for this one.
“Ah it’s really sweet. It’s really enjoyable. I only came into the team last week, I was staying in touch, but it’s a really special feeling,” he began.
He then went onto touch upon the true magic of this competition. The Sigerson Cup can at times be ignored, by the GAA themselves even.
We need look no further than Saturday’s showpiece for that, where Corofin’s Kieran Molloy and Liam Silke had no option but to line out for their club 90 minutes before the ball would be thrown in for the Sigerson final.
Silke missed the game as a result, but Molloy after a heroic effort and a Garda escort made it up to come on as a sub.
He was one of @CorofinGAA's key players in their victory earlier today. He shouldn't have to do this, but the heart and appetite of some of our GAA players means they just can't help themselves https://t.co/P4O92yW0yu
— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) February 17, 2018
O’Callaghan told of how hungry he was to play at this level, and how he enjoys the aspect of building bonds with lads from other counties.
Lads of similar ages and interests coming together for the first time and building a team spirt. That’s a buzz.
“I suppose you’re playing with lads from different counties, and they’re lads that you’re normally battling against in really competitive matches in Croke Park. So it’s nice to be able to play with them and to build that camaraderie with lads from different counties,” he said.
He even became friends with a Mayo man.
“Mayo men even as well, yeah Stephen Coen is our captain,” he laughed. “Yeah there’s a great mix, there’s a great bond between those las so it really is great to be a part of that.”
That’s what the Sigerson Cup is all about.
