WHEN COLM O’Neill landed into training on the Monday night after Cork’s recent win over Longford, there were two new faces in the dressing-room.
Aidan Walsh is a familiar solider from Cork football days gone by. Alan Cadogan is a former underage talent that he had not linked up with beforehand.
Nine days previously O’Neill had sat in Semple Stadium with the rest of the Cork football squad, watching on as the pair’s 2016 hurling adventure with Cork ended. Now they were new teammates.
“We arrived into training and the lads were there, it probably wasn’t something we’d thought about. In fairness to Peadar and the management team, they’ve said all year that it’s an open panel.
“The lads have showed what they can do in the past in inter county football. They bring a huge amount of experience and freshness.”
O’Neill still hurls away with his club Ballyclough but there was a time he was juggling both codes at inter-county level.
“I played minor (in 2006) and then two years U21. A lot of the current (senior) hurling team would have been in that U21 side. A lot of those lads have pushed on to make the grade.
“It was probably after the U21 football campaign in 2009, Conor (Counihan) contacted, myself, Aidan and Ciaran would we come in and join the panel. It took off from there and thankfully it’s gone well.
“Football fell for me straight away. It’s seven or eight years since I played inter county hurling. I’d be well and truly off the mark at this stage with hurling.”
That summer he was called into the senior football squad, it was Donegal in the opposition corner when he made his first championship start for Cork. That game and their 2012 battle inform the attacker ahead of today’s showdown.
“2009 against Donegal was my first championship start. We won that game comprehensively. Then 2012 was the first kind of experience I had of the blanket defence. It was a bit of a shock that day.
“It’s definitely not a shock now. Every inter county team and even some club teams are playing that way, it’s nothing new to us but it’s going to be interesting how we shape up to it.”
Cork’s hope is that they are rejuvenated from completing recent qualifier assignments.
“In years gone by when we were down at half-time and things weren’t going our way, we kind of imploded,” points out O’Neill.
“That was a positive to have from the Longford game. We went out from half-time to set things right.
“That’s the beauty of the qualifiers. A change of scenery and playing different teams, it’s just a bit of novelty.
“Any inter county player just wants to play games week in, week out. Lads are enjoying it.”
AIB, proud sponsors of the GAA Football Championship, has teamed up with Cork footballer Colm O’Neill in his hometown of Ballyclough ahead of the Round 4A clash where he will line out against Donegal.
AIB, Backing Club & County, for exclusive content and to see why AIB believe Club Fuels County follow @AIB_GAA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
