Joe O'Connor overcame ACL injury hell to go from ‘token' captain to key Kerry cog in All-Ireland triumph
The Austin Stacks star was nominated to captain Kerry for the 2022 season but failed to nail down a regular spot in Jack O'Connor's team as the panel he skippered
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The Austin Stacks man also played for Munster Rugby at underage level
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The 25-year-old was named captain of Kerry in 2022 having never started a game
He was introduced in the 74th minute of their final win over Galway that July.
Two months later, the midfielder suffered a torn ACL, which wiped out his 2023 campaign.
But that same year,
And the Tralee man has stepped it up again this season, culminating in his super
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His 70th-minute goal sealed the 1-26 to 0-19 showpiece victory. And his journey made reaching his destination all the sweeter.
O'Connor said: 'It was a tough injury. I wasn't getting games and a lot of doubts creep in — will I ever get in? . . .
'So you've to deal with that and keep ploughing on. In the 2022 final it was about two minutes I'd say off the bench. That was my role.
'I wanted to be a starter and try to be a big player. It was a tricky enough year probably being captain and getting token minutes and getting probably five or six minutes off the bench. It was just a weird position.
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'A couple of months later I did the cruciate. So I don't know what it's down to, but I accepted it and got the surgery and went from there.
'I just kept the head and kept going. But I always kind of knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to break in. I felt like I wouldn't stop until I'd be a starter.'
David Clifford's son adorably hijacks RTE interview after dad dominates All-Ireland final
O'Connor is one of the first names on the Kerry team-sheet now and after lifting Sam Maguire for a second time, he is set to win his first All-Star. Celtic Crosses are the only currency in Kerry, and he now has two.
O'Connor said: 'It's very special. There's probably an expectation down in Kerry that you should be winning plenty of them, but we know that's not the case.
'You have to work so hard every year. You're never entitled to them so we really appreciate them.
'We see what happened there after 2022, in 2023 and 2024. It's so hard to win them and that's what makes it so special.'
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