Ben O’Connor was one of Cork’s best hurlers in their last golden era.
He collected three All-Ireland medals, five Munster titles, two All-Stars and was captain in 2004 against Kilkenny and Man of the Match in the 2005 victory over Galway. He spearheaded Newtownshandrum’s rise all the way to All-Ireland senior club champions, starting with an intermediate title in 1996 when he was just 17.
O’Connor was a wristy, skillful forward, fast as a whippet and linked up with twin brother Jerry and Tom Kenny to devastating effect. Adapting the running game pioneered by their father Bernie at club level, Cork’s success was built around the O’Connors’ energy and efficiency.
What marked Ben O’Connor apart was even as a lethal shooter with a brilliant touch, he had the ferocious work-rate and granite toughness of a defender. In the Laochra Gael documentary earlier this year, he made no bones about how important winning was to him.
Those traits made him a fan favourite as much as his superb scores in big games.
After breaking through in 1999, his last game came in the league at Croke Park in 2012 at the start of Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s second stint as manager. Despite starting and scoring a point against Dublin, he decided his race was run.
That was typical of his no-nonsense approach. He didn’t flinch during the strikes, never suffered fools gladly, always stood up for himself and Cork.
Ben O’Connor celebrates a late goal for the Cork U20s away to Clare. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
He brought those traits to management, first guiding Newtown’s North Cork neighbours Charleville to a county, then collecting the top prize with Midleton, and overseeing an U20 All-Ireland in 2023.
All those teams featuring silky hurlers, from Darragh Fitzgibbon to Conor Lehane to Ben Cunningham, but also a steely edge.
He is inheriting the Cork senior job at an interesting juncture.
When Pat Ryan was appointed in 2022, the Rebels had been in the All-Ireland the season before but hadn’t reached a Munster final in five years and thrown away a quarter-final they should have won against Galway that summer. The supporters were frustrated by their inconsistency.
O’Connor is taking over a squad that reached successive All-Ireland finals, lifted the league for the first time in 27 years and ended Limerick’s provincial reign. Cork are strong contenders for Liam MacCarthy going into 2026.
They captured the imagination of the Cork fans with their swashbucklingly direct style and lust for goals but the manner of their second-half collapse in July has left scars that won’t heal easily. O’Connor and his new management team, which will include three-time All-Star centre-back Ronan Curran, needs to address the mental frailty exposed by Tipp.
A few new faces are needed in the starting 15 as well, to follow Diarmuid Healy’s lead.