Eoghan Connolly: 'Last year, you were afraid to walk down the town to get a coffee'

Eoghan Connolly has spoken of the embarrassment Tipperary’s All-Ireland winners felt after last season’s failure to win a championship game.

Fancied to pick up an All Star in November to add to his first All-Ireland medal earned against Cork last Sunday, it’s a complete change for the Cashel King Cormacs man.

“Last year, you were afraid to walk down the town to get a coffee,” admitted Connolly.

“You were walking with your head down looking at your shoes. Going to that minor game (All-Ireland final win over Kilkenny), it was so hard to face. It was a hard year, like, it was so hard.

“It wasn't something I done, trying to prove people wrong. It was just this group of lads was all I was worried about. We know what we could do. You can’t control the outside noise. You just have to block it out.”

The 25-year-old continued: “We believed from the get-go when we met in late November or December that we were capable of fixing it. Belief is a massive word that we've used in our dressing room throughout the year and it was evident just as the while left.”

To Liam Cahill and his management team, the 26-year-old is indebted. “We owe everything we have to them. What they've done for us is just amazing. They've raised us into the kind of men we are today.

“We've had them since we were 17 years of age. You see them as much as you see your mother and father. They're amazing men. I can't thank them enough for what they've done for me.”

At this stage of the week, Connolly’s mind has turned to Saturday’s West Tipperary final against Clonoulty Rossmore in Golden. He and his cousin Oisín O’Donoghue will be lining out against their Tipperary team-mates Robert Doyle and Danny Slattery.

“I might watch Robert Doyle closely and see what he’s doing for the week,” he smiled.

“We’ll go training on Thursday evening. It's only fair because of the work them boys are putting in and waiting for these games. They're training fierce hard at the moment. It would be unfair of myself and Oisín to take away from them.

“Cashel haven’t won a West senior title in 30 years I think, and it’s a huge dream of mine to win a West senior title with Cashel King Cormacs.”

After the divisional final was played last year, Cashel returned to the senior ranks under the stewardship of Connolly’s father TJ, Tipperary’s former U21 manager and selector.

Fergie O’Loughlin and Alan Cadogan have taken over the team this season but the impact of Connolly’s father is still huge for the defender. On the morning of Sunday’s final, he sent him something that made him emotional.

“TJ, the father, he's a massive role model of mine. Heading up on the bus there, I was calm. Obviously, I don't get too excited, but I got a message on the phone and it would nearly bring you to tears. I can't thank him enough for everything he's done for me.”

To win alongside O’Donoghue meant the world too. “Oisín's in dreamland. He's 19 years of age. He’s a football game in Cashel (this week) but I’d say he’ll skip it. He’s just a great young lad and a great role model in our club.”

Connolly joked that he purposely directed the ball into John McGrath for his second goal against Cork.

“A pass, yeah. I said the same thing to him! Legs were just cramping and just let rip and hoping it was going and then I saw John just got on the end of it and brave of him again.”

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