Cork's Conor Lehane savouring All-Ireland opportunity and chance to lift trophy
was 21 when he played in his first
All-Ireland final
. He's been waiting another 12 years to get back on that pitch again for hurling's blue-riband day.
Having come so close in 2013 and stormed to a
Munster
title the following season, he could never have thought it'd take so long for it to come back around.
Lehane was dropped for the 2021 campaign, when
Cork
made it back to the final. His club form forced a recall, and they battled back to the decider last year. However, Lehane was not called upon for either the semi-final or final.
Cork manager Pat Ryan has said how easy it would've been for the Midleton man to walk away. He was getting married last December, and the Bulmers employee has plenty going on in life off the field.
That wasn't his attitude. He kept fit through the honeymoon to South Africa and continues to hold one of the lowest body-fat percentages on the panel.
A dislocated shoulder and hamstring injury kept him sidelined for months, but the Munster final going to extra-time was the sliding-doors moment he needed. Instead of one minute as a last-gasp sub, he got 21. In that time, he scored 0-2, won a pointed free and stitched his penalty in the shoot-out.
'Every player that's involved wants to be getting as much game time as humanly possible. Everyone wants to be impacting positively, and when it doesn't happen, you'd be heartbroken in a way,' says Lehane.
'But that's the whole gig. It's sport. It's not meant to be this nice 'everyone gets a go'. Every player here has experienced the highs and lows of coming on, hopefully with a big win, and others not coming on at all, and mentally dealing with that.'
How did he process the double disappointment of the 2024 final?
'You genuinely don't know what's around the corner,' says Conor Lehane. Photograph: Inpho
'I'd have loved to have been a part of it and try and make an impact, but it's about being a grown-up as well.
'If that's not the case, then you've got to take it on the chin, regroup, and just drive on. You've no other choice really.
'If you get too caught up in it, you'll only end up getting distracted and not being focused enough for whatever the next stage is. You'll only end up being in your head.
'You've just got to have the frustration of it, park it, and then, what's next?'
Lehane notched 2-3 against Limerick in the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final. Starved of opportunities, it took him another seven years until the Dublin semi-final for his next score at GAA headquarters.
'I didn't realise that. That's kind of sad,' he deadpans, before breaking into laughter. 'Seven years? You really don't know what's going to happen. You genuinely don't know what's around the corner.
'As you get older, you'd understand that a bit better. You've to go through the ups and downs of something to appreciate that a bit more.
'You're always aware of it, but until it actually happens, you get a real insight of how gutting it can be when things don't go as expected.
'But it's your reaction to it and how you apply yourself to the next thing is key. That starts way, way before something that might happen.
'Seven years later, the good mentality for that could happen years prior, so it's key just to make sure the disappointment that's there is addressed, parked, and then it's what's up next, and make sure you're bringing your best self to that.'
With crowds limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, Lehane watched the 2021 final at home. His emotions oscillated between 'buzzing' for the lads and being 'gutted' over missing out.
He didn't feel the need to prove a point in the subsequent club championship, but captaining Midleton to the title led Kieran Kingston to change his mind.
'I genuinely accepted that that was it,' he recalls. 'He [Kingston] just rang me at the end of the year, met up for a coffee, and we had a chat. The option was there. I went home, had a think about it, and gave him my decision.
'Once I had the few days, it was a straightforward answer.'
The evening before the Munster final, Lehane was at Clonmel Racecourse presenting prizes on behalf of his employers. The next day, he was the one collecting a trophy.
There is one piece of silverware remaining on the list for that long-serving generation of Lehane, Patrick Horgan, Séamus Harnedy, and Damien Cahalane.
'As long as you've got a couple of other lads in their 30s, you feel a bit better,' smiles Lehane. 'Hoggie and Sham will always be four and two years older than me, so I can always use that against them no matter what.'
When asked about Horgan's crusade for that elusive Celtic Cross, Lehane's response reflects his attitude towards his own game time.
'Someone like him certainly deserves one, but that's the cruelty of sport, too. Regardless if you deserve it or not doesn't mean you'll get it. But certainly everyone is behind him that way.'
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2 minutes ago
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At the other end, Donegal were working much harder for their scores. On a day when the Ulster champions would have been hoping for a big impact from their bench, it never came. PLENTY OF CHANGES BUT LITTLE CHANGE They had four subs on before Kerry used their first, yet it changed very little. The loss of Ciarán Thompson to an injury in the first half, followed by another talisman in Ryan McHugh going off early in the second half, did not help their cause. When a team sees senior players leaving the game, it has a detrimental effect. Donegal would obviously have tagged Clifford obviously did damage when he was on the ball but perhaps they put too much emphasis on him. Brendan McCole was almost completely taken out of the game by the two-time Footballer of the Year. SELFLESS PLAY Clifford spent most of the first half out under the Hogan Stand, which only served to pull Donegal's defensive structure apart. 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There are some lads who would not see that much ball in a whole season! At every level, there is always one lad you want to kill whenever he gets the ball. Paudie is probably in that bracket, which is something he revels in too. Every time he had the ball, Donegal players seemed to swarm him but he just handed it off at will and created space for others to prosper. He was utterly magnificent. After a tough season with injuries, it was great to see him conjure up a performance of that quality. Along with Joe O'Connor and White, Paudie was one of several man-of-the-match contenders. In particular, O'Connor exerted a massive influence in the first half. He seemed to be on all the breaking ball and he covered every blade of grass. And he put the icing on the cake with a great finish for the goal. JACK O'CONNOR'S LAST? If this was to be Jack O'Connor's swansong, it was a fitting way for the man to go out. It was a very different game 21 years ago when he won his first All-Ireland. Still, here he is bringing Sam Maguire back to the Kingdom yet again. He is a wonderful manager with extraordinary longevity. As a five-time All-Ireland winner now, he has to go down as one of the greatest the game has ever seen. It will be a long winter in Donegal as they contemplate coming so close but failing to get over the line. But I expect McGuinness to be back and driving them forward again in 2026. As for Michael Murphy, will he stay on? I have my doubts. He has had a massive influence on how they play since he returned, so a bit of a reset would be required if he steps away again. Paddy McBrearty has probably also seen Croke Park for the last time too. Donegal still have the nucleus of a young team, so they have a lot to be encouraged by. But getting to these heights again without Murphy will be a tall order.
