O’Hare voted state’s best football player
INDIVIDUAL awards have never been the motivation behind Crios O’Hare’s commitment to his craft, but the veteran Edge Hill United striker conceded it was nice to be voted Queensland’s best grassroots football player.
O’Hare came out on top of 89 outstanding footballing talents from across the state, garnering 24 per cent of the vote to be a clear winner over Nerimbula’s Lachlan Riley (15 per cent).
“It’s nice winning things, but individual awards have never been a big motivation for me,” O’Hare said.
“With what I’ve been through with injuries over the past few years, I’ve worked really hard to stay on the field. It is nice to win an award.”
Leichhardt’s Josh Mulla was next best on 9 per cent, while O’Hare’s Tigers teammate Jesse Casson was fourth with 7 per cent of the vote.
A look at O’Hare’s recent record at Tiger Park shows why he is so deserving of the gong.
The former NPL Queensland striker turned playercoach is one of the beneficiaries of Edge Hill United’s strong roster and regional dominance, having claimed two consecutive
Golden Boots in the FNQ Premier League. He scored more than 30 goals last year.
Edge Hill United has won every trophy on offer in north Queensland for the past three years, and in 2021 made the round of 32 in the Australia Cup.
O’Hare is entering the twilight of his playing career but has kept himself busy as a coach at his club, with his business, Next Level Training Academy, and with the Caravella Football Academy in Cairns.
Coaching is an area in which he is continuing to grow and develop his skills, and between the roles he has
earned a fair amount of experience teaching children and adults.
“I love coaching,” he said. “I’ve coached juniors for a long time through the academy (CFA) and my job is working with kids in the gym.
“Coaching the first team at Edge Hill United was different to what I had experienced before but I’ve enjoyed the journey so far.”
Boasting a staggering win rate of more than 80 per cent, O’Hare is leading his troops into the season with the goal of winning every competition in which they play, as well as another deep run in the Australia Cup.
That success reflects Edge Hill United’s attitude to football. The fun is important but, in senior football and as an athlete, you play to win and it is a culture O’Hare is proud to grow at the club.
“We want to win everything we play in,’ O’Hare said.
“Yes, it’s going to be difficult to win the Australia Cup, but last year we showed it’s possible to make the last 32.
“I’m proud of what we’re building there. We’ve built a good squad with a really good culture. When you have 16 or 17 players at training regularly and they are enjoying themselves, you know you are doing something right.”