Rory O’Connor’s rise in hurling has been rapid.
The St. Martin’s forward made his Wexford debut in the 2017 All-Ireland championship and started to embed himself within the yellowbellies setup over the last two seasons.
O’Connor has been a fast riser but he does feel aggrieved at the U21 grade in hurling being moved to U20 next year which means that players born in 1998 will miss out on the level this year.
O’Connor said it was disappointing that players didn’t have more of a say in the process.
“It’s annoying,” he said. “They take a year on you.
“We’ve never even been asked or surveyed to ask what’s your opinion on the whole thing – they just change it on you.
“I just heard it, in Congress that it was passed. What can you do? Players don’t have a voice in any of those decisions or not in a year anyway. Hopefully, it will come back.”
The second-year business student at DCU has also enjoyed the Fitzgibbon experience at the Dublin university but he fears that that competition could too be tinkered with as the GAA try to juggle fixture congestion.
“I’m out of U21 anyway. I’ve accepted that,” he added.
“My only fear is that the next thing they’ll do is take Fitzgibbon [Cup].
“I’ve hopefully three or four years left with Fitz. Hopefully, they don’t touch that. It’s a special tournament. Playing with lads, you are actually having the craic.
“Not really training just going to a different college and hurling with lads you might never play with again. Lads in the same boat, doing the same travel just with a different county team.”
As for Wexford, Davy Fitzgerald’s side fell short in last year’s Leinster Senior Hurling championship but O’Connor feels that the loss of Joe Canning for defending champions Galway could level the playing field for the competition’s contenders.
“I suppose it does,” he noted.
“With frees anyway. Anything inside the maybe the 70 is over the bar. it definitely does, he’s at the peak of his career I suppose carrying Galway. He’s a class hurler, I would have looked up to him when I was younger.
“Unfortunately, he’s out injured now so it’s not going to just give hope to Wexford, you have Kilkenny and Dublin licking their lips so it’s whoever wants it the most now. It’s going to be interesting, I’d say there’s not going to be much between the teams in Leinster just like in Munster.”
Rory O’Connor of Wexford in attendance at the official launch of Physio Led Personal Training at Sports Physio Ireland. Physio Led Personal Training is designed to improve your overall level of well being, helping you to achieve your fitness goals all the while catering for any lingering injuries you may have. SPI want people to come, enjoy their time and achieve their individual goals.
