From mascot to midfielder
Jack steeped in tradition
JACK O’CONNOR was the team mascot when Wexford lifted the Bob O’Keeffe Cup back in 1997, but next Sunday he returns to Croke Park with a far more significant role in the hope of lifting the famous silverware.
From a family steeped in hurling tradition, the young St. Martin’s clubman once flirted with rugby, being unable to command a place at under-age level given his lack of physique.
This is a game that will tell us everything we need to know about the Wexford mentality. Having beaten Kilkenny in Nowlan Park for the first time in 60 years, going alongside their provincial championship semi-final victory over their arch-rivals, now the time has arrived to see if they can back it up, with the old order in Leinster having been cast aside in what will be a first-ever provincial final clash with Galway.
Wexford will be relishing this challenge, having set out their goal from their initial meeting with manager Davy Fitzgerald and his backroom team.
‘What he wanted to do with us from the outset was to get us into winning ways, getting a winning habit, and bringing consistency to our game,’ O’Connor said. ‘That was our starting point but, come January we believed we could achieve something. I always believed I could win something.
‘That was our starting point. We took each game in the league on its own merit, beat Limerick and Galway setting us up for promotion. We went on to beat Kilkenny, which increased our confidence, only to lose to Tipperary but it was a great experience.’
O’Connor’s opening championship game against Laois was cut short through injury. ‘Against Laois I hurt my ankle. It turned out to be a crack in the bone which held me back from training. I started against Kilkenny but the missing of training held me back. But thankfully I’m now fully fit and looking forward to Galway.’
One of Wexford’s brightest young talents, it was always felt that he had all the attributes to make a top-class player but it was not always inevitable that he would get the call to hurling.
‘I played a bit of rugby mainly when young. When I grew up I played No. 10 but I was coming from a strong hurling family. My Dad (John) and uncle George were hurling to the bone, so perhaps that was always where I was going to end up.
‘When I was young I could not make the Under-14s because of my physique while I scraped into Under-16. After that I started to build out physically and then I knew hurling was my game, I would be able to cope physically.’
The young all-rounder spoke of the support received from his relation Liam Griffin, who managed Wexford to their last All-Ireland success back in 1996.
‘Yes, Liam had a say. He had me hurling against a wall around Christmas. That helped influence me and it was hurling from there on. I was a bit younger than Tadhg Furlong when playing rugby but don’t remember playing against him. Having progressed in hurling it became my number one game.’
Now that his club St. Martin’s are delivering an abundance of young players, there’s little doubt in Jack’s mind that he made the right choice, with so many newcomers coming through the system in his own club and at county level.
‘The St. Martin’s team at the minute is still very young. They are all around my age and all at different levels around the squad, with academy and development squads. We have so many young players coming through who have been successful at under-age levels. So, yes, there is plenty of young talent coming through in the county.
‘This is my fourth year with the Senior hurling set-up. I’m at home for the summer, then starting work in Dublin, so really looking forward to the game.
‘There is a real buzz in the county which I have not seen for years. I can see that with my mother and father. It’s great to be part of this and bring so much enjoyment to them and the people of Wexford.’
And having played his way into the team through the Under-21 successes, O’Connor added: ‘When I play I concentrate and put the hype aside and concentrate on hurling. When I go out on the field I just concentrate on hurling.
CONTINUED OPPOSITE
‘At Under-21 there was a serious bunch of players coming through. It really showed something was coming to Wexford. It showed against Kilkenny. Now we know we can go on and win games.
‘I remember being a mascot for ‘97, I remember being lifted up with the squad when receiving the Leinster Cup. I am now totally into hurling. I did not get into an Under-14 panel and then scraped into Under-16 but I was always into hurling.’
Jack could be joined in the squad by his younger brother, Rory. ‘Brother Rory is snooping around the squad. He is finishing the Leaving Cert. at the minutebut Davy has had him in.
‘He is a very skilful hurler and may be best of all of us but it could take another year to get into Senior levels.’
On the championship so far, Jack said: ‘The team was mighty confident going to play Kilkenny. We did our homework and took it on from there. In the league we took it on and won promotion, but this is championship, so Galway will be a serious challenge but it’s a challenge we are relishing.
‘They are an experienced side, appeared in two All-Ireland finals, four Leinster finals and won the National League this year, but we are looking ahead towards the challenge.’
As for his choice of sport, Jack is in no doubt he made the right one. ‘Hurling is the choice I made, I love playing, I love playing championship matches, I love playing hurling and having games. I cannot get away from hurling as there’s my father (John).
‘The last time I saw this hype in the county was against Clare in the qualifiers,’ O’Connor said, and then he received the call from Davy who shouted into the press group, ‘enough of that Jack, enough of that’.
That brought a jovial end to the interview as the tall athlete made his way to the team meeting.