NIALL O’LEARY TASTED his first experience of All-Ireland senior final day in 2021.
It was a harsh and sobering afternoon of learning.
By the end Cork were 16 points adrift of an utterly dominant Limerick team. O’Leary was hooked after 47 minutes of a game, suffering in an opening period where Peter Casey ran riot in the Limerick forward line as he shot five points.
Absorbing the lessons from that day has helped O’Leary and his Cork team-mates get back to that stage next Sunday.
“I think we’ve definitely learned a lot since.
“I think even on the parade around the field, a lot of us in the semi-final just kept the head down and stayed concentrating on what the task was ahead.
“In 21, a lot of fellas were doing a lot of looking around and maybe it created a lot of nerves on the day.”
When Cork faced Limerick this time in Croke Park, they were more mature and assured. After the pre-match parade in front of a sellout crowd, the Cork team gathered in a huddle as the stadium heaved with expectation.
“There wasn’t a whole pile of talking, really, it was more to take a few breaths to get back down to earth, more than anything.
“A couple of words from Seánie (O’Donoghue) to get fellas going again but it was mainly to get a breather, relax and reset. It’s something we’ve been doing all year.
“Gary Keegan has done a lot of work, this year and last year, on different breathing practices that we’ve brought into our game to bring us back down to earth.
“It’s just a reset, really, to relax a fella before going out.”
Keegan is a figure of renown with his work in priming elite sportspeople to perform. O’Leary is grateful that Cork have access to him.
“He’s brilliant, to be honest. It’s great to have a fella like that on board who’s been at such a high level with the Irish rugby team and we get to take things from him as well. He’s done great work with us over the last couple of years.
“He’s a busy man. I suppose we don’t get to see him as regularly as we might want to, but he’s always there on the phone. There are text messages coming in maybe once or twice a day from him about different things that we need to do.
“Everyone has done individual work with him over the years. He has really helped me. Since I started on the panel in 2019, I’ve definitely taken a lot from him on different aspects of my game and everything. He has really helped.”
Cork’s season has been characterised by better fortune in tight contests going their way. One result was of their own making with their stunning late comeback to take down Limerick in May, at a time when their campaign interest was on the brink.
But two other results also worked out in their favour, Tipperary salvaging a draw with Waterford and Clare edging out the Deise by a point.
It’s a contrast to twelve months ago when they exited Munster after single-point defeats.
“Looking back on last year, we were getting performances,” said O’Leary,
“I think it was a small bit of luck more than anything has gone our way this year.
“You look back to Limerick last year, losing by a point to them, it could have gone any way. This year, we’ve had a nice bit of luck in different games but, again, looking at the squad of players we have, there’s a good bond there and fellas are willing to work hard.
“That’s a big thing that has come from the games recently, the workrate out of everyone.”
O’Leary’s task as an inside defender remains of critical importance with teams seeking to stretch players outfield to create that space for their full-forward line
“It’s a tough job at times, trying to work with that space, but again, we’ve worked well with it this year. Our half-back line has done very well to protect us back there this year.
“Anyone that’s playing inside, you really have to embrace it. It’s great having the likes of Wayne (Sherlock) and the lads there with us, guys who have played themselves, to get a lot of information from them on what they’d do in different scenarios.
“Look you’re up against such good forwards at this level that they’re going to get one or two points off you in a game, maybe three. If you can keep a fella to that, you’re doing well.”
He prefers not to fixate on his opposing marker and spend any great length of time researching who he will face.
“The more you watch a fella, the more you think he’s going to be very good. I don’t know, I prefer to go in there more relaxed and see what happens.
“With the way it is these days, you know exactly what you’re coming up against. You see enough of them throughout the year that you know what they’re like.
“It’s not something in my own game, that I like doing a lot of research into fellas. I kind of take it as it is, really.”
O’Leary maintains a proud club tradition in his East Cork homeplace of Castlelyons.
25 years ago Timmy McCarthy put the club on the map with his exploits as part of Cork’s Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph.
“A lot of fellas know Timmy, he’s a great man and we’re very lucky to have him in the club.
“I was actually only doing a Cúl Camp with him (a couple weeks ago), so it’s nice to have a fella like that that you can talk to.
“And, again, he’s not a fella that’s going to be asking you a lot of questions about the game, either. He’d rather take your mind off it more than anything, which shows his experience, really.
“It’s great to have him.”
A PE and history teacher in St Colman’s in Fermoy, O’Leary tips away at work on the family farm to keep him busy during the summer months.
Otherwise hurling consumes his attention, an All-Ireland final with Cork the focus in a year where he has already sampled that stage with his club, Castlelyons swept aside by Thomastown in last January’s intermediate decider.
“It’s been a long year but it’s been very enjoyable. It was a great year with Castlelyons to get that far. It was disappointing on the day in the final but it was unbelievable to be at Croke Park with your club. The lads were fairly good with taking time off and I got to come back in again then. It’s enjoyable so I can’t complain.”
