Latest news with #ConorLehane
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Mark Landers: 'If we're in trouble Sunday we're looking to Conor Lehane - we know he will do it'
The Dalo Hurling Show pitched up for an All-Ireland final preview at Sarsfields Hurling Club Wednesday night, where they trust and believe their beloved Pat Ryan will be returning with Liam MacCarthy on Monday. For Anthony's regular guest TJ Ryan, the saving grace in this new-look yet traditional final is that 'one of them is going to lose'. That renowned traffic controller of attacking patterns Eamon O'Shea made his way from Galway to discuss the 'flight paths' to goal both teams will take Sunday. Though amid all the debate about inside forwards, Eamon expects 'a real ding dong challenge with less goals than people expect'. Eamon is thrilled about the resurgence in Tipp goalpoacher John McGrath, and how he has defied those who said his 'legs were gone'. 'I saw him working through injury, working through form, he didn't give up, he kept believing. 'That's a real strong sense of a person. Just someone that is an example for all hurlers. 'People telling you this and that. But he stayed calm. He is the epitome of calmness. And I'm thrilled for him.' Mark Landers echoed those sentiments about Cork veteran Conor Lehane, again set to play a huge part from the Cork bench. 'He hung in there. He's a vital cog. Great credit for what Conor has done to stay in the game. He's made himself really relevant to this panel. 'If we are in trouble Sunday, we're looking to Conor and we know he will do it.' O'Shea agreed: 'You couldn't not love hurling watching Conor Lehane.' Will Seamie Harnedy be among those subs too if he is passed fit. Landers thinks so. 'Maybe Pat might think we'd be better have our strongest 15 finishing.' The 1999 captain fancies Rob Downey will be making the winning speech this Sunday. 'Tipp are our greatest rivals there is no doubt But Cork have a maturity about them, they look able to carry the favourites' tag. 'I think there is still an upside in the team. They are still improving. 'And I feel they have an extra gear in them. And there is no way they will underestimate Tipp.' TJ says it's a mad game and mad things happen but he fancies Cork. Dalo thinks Cork will find a way. The rational side of Professor O'Shea was almost swayed. 'I understand why people will go for Cork but I have an emotional part of my brain and I find it hard to consider anything but a Tipperary win.' Whoever wins, at whoever's club the celebrations begin in earnest, Eamon knows these weekends are to be treasured 'This is not just a match. These are lifetime experiences for our people and our communities. This is something that goes deep. This actually matters in some way we can trace back. There is something different about this All-Ireland hurling experience.' Irish Examiner subscribers can watch or listen to Dalo's All-Ireland Final preview now from Thursday lunchtime on
The Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Pat Ryan's Conor Lehane revelation shows dedication Cork veteran still has as he prepares for Tipperary
WHEN the fat is in the fire against Tipperary, Conor Lehane will hope for a chance to do his bit to end the lean years for Cork. The veteran forward has had to contend with life on the fringes for the Rebels, who can end a 20-year wait for an All-Ireland SHC title in Sunday's final. 2 2 Lehane was in the team for the 2023 win over Waterford that saw Pat Ryan take charge of Cork in a Championship match for the first time. However, he has not been selected to start a game since last summer's All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Offaly. Still, Ryan recently lauded his dedication as the Cork boss highlighted how the body-fat percentage of the Midleton forward, who turns 33 this month, is the lowest on his panel. Lehane said: '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. But that's the whole gig — it's sport. 'It's tough when you don't get your chance but when you do get your chance, whether it's a minute, ten minutes, 20 minutes, it's just whatever impact you can have.' For Lehane, the 2013 loss to Clare after a replay remains his last direct involvement in an All-Ireland final. After being cut from the panel in 2021, he missed that season's decider against Limerick. And for last summer's Croke Park clash with the Banner, Lehane was an unused sub for the duration of a thrilling showpiece that Cork lost by a point after extra-time. He admitted: 'Obviously I'd love to have been involved and try to make an impact. But it's about being a grown-up as well. "You've got to take it on the chin and regroup again and just drive on. You've no other choice really.' 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal Having been axed from the set-up by Kieran Kingston, Lehane was recalled by the same manager a year later in recognition of his sensational club form as he led Midleton to Cork SHC glory. Patrick Horgan is the only member of the current panel who has been on the go at senior level with Cork for longer than Lehane, who debuted in 2011. Now in his 14th season, is the competition for places in the Rebel attack more intense than he has ever known it? Lehane said: 'Definitely. Everyone is just talented beyond belief and as driven as the next fella. 'It kind of goes against you when you want to get your place back but certainly it keeps you on your toes in terms of you can't be slacking in any session. 'You have to be on the ball, you have to be ready as if it's a game.' BENCH PRESS Lehane came off the bench and notched a point against Dublin last time out as Cork booked their spot in the All-Ireland final for a second year on the spin. And he was one of the heroes who foiled Limerick's bid for a seventh straight Munster title. The two points he scored in extra-time after being called upon to replace Horgan helped to force a penalty shootout. He was then the first Cork player to beat Nickie Quaid, emphatically converting to set his side on their way to a first provincial triumph since 2018. It was a sweet moment for Lehane, whose involvement earlier in Cork's season had been curtailed by shoulder and hamstring injuries. He said: 'It was unreal to experience that, especially the way I'd been out for a while and not really involved. 'When the opportunity came, you don't think about that at the time because you'd be a bag of nerves otherwise. 'To be involved in the way it ended, the aftermath and the dressing room and stuff, it's worth any bit of hardship you went through throughout the year to experience that.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork's Conor Lehane savouring All-Ireland opportunity and chance to lift trophy
Conor Lehane 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.'
The 42
2 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Conor Lehane: 'It's about being a grown up, you've got to take it on the chin and just drive on'
IN DECEMBER 2021, Conor Lehane got a call from Kieran Kingston. The Cork manager invited Lehane to meet up and placed his offer on the table – a call back to rejoin the county's hurling squad. Twelve months after being cut from their plans, Lehane was provided with a route to return to the Cork panel at the age of 29. 'Just met up for a coffee and we just had a chat,' recalls Lehane. 'The option was there. Just went home, had a think about it (and) in a way didn't jump back into it. You could say, 'Oh yeah it's 100%', but in a way you were so kind of settled and that was it. Your mind was made up. 'You gave yourself a few days and you remember if you want to go back in, you want to make sure you're going to be going in at 110% rather than just going, I'll see how it goes. 'Once I had the few days, it was a straightforward answer.' He seized the chance at a second shot at a way of life he had been accustomed to since his teenage days, first recruited to the Cork senior squad while studying for his Leaving Cert and making his senior championship debuat against Galway at the age of 18 in 2011. Lehane was a precocious hurler, fast-tracked to the highest level. In the drawn 2013 All-Ireland final he netted after a brilliant solo run against Clare. Across the 2017-18 seasons he fired 2-30 in championship action, including 1-3 in Cork's loss to Limerick in an All-Ireland semi-final epic. But consistency was a quality that eluded him. In the 2020 Covid championship, Lehane started against Waterford but lost his place for the games with Tipperary and Dublin, restricted to cameos off the bench. When Cork formulated their plans for the 2021 season, Lehane was cut. Advertisement He accepted the decision with grace, channelling his hurling energies towards the club game with Midleton. When they won the county title in November 2021, Lehane was the captain in the stand grasping silverware after performing as the leader on the pitch in dazzling style with his tally of 13 points out of Midleton's 24 against Glen Rovers. 'It wouldn't have been a case of going out and being like, 'I'll show them or anything.' recalls Lehane. 'If I was kind of doing that, I felt I'd nearly make it about myself. Go out and perform the way you would regardless of what year Cork went. It's kind of showing respect to your club that you're doing what's right rather than making it about yourself. 'It's easy for me to say now, I didn't think about it, but I genuinely accepted that, that was it. 'Looking forward to the following year would have been crazy in order to be able to focus on what was going on now. That's something that you do when you're a bit younger. You get carried away about the next year. It's exhausting mentally to think that way. 'You just need to discipline yourself to focus on what's actually currently happening and what you can actually put some bit of control towards rather than the ifs and buts. That's all imagination.' He didn't harbour any feelings of resentment and kept an eye on Cork's progress in 2021 as they journeyed towards the All-Ireland final. 'I watched the final. I was with my wife, who was my girlfriend at the time. We watched it at home. With Covid there was only limited capacity. I would have gone if we could. 'I know at the time we were training that day and I was so focused on Midleton. We didn't want to be making a big fuss by going up and making it like a thing. I was happy out to watch it at home. 'It was a weird feeling because you're buzzing for lads to get there, but you're obviously gutted you can't be involved. 'But it was the way it was. You just dealt with it and you dealt with it in the best way you could. I wished all the lads the best.' His club form had been exceptional that year, making a persuasive case for inclusion once more. 'Look, if there's eight or nine better forwards than him in the county, we don't know anything about hurling,' was the verdict of Ben O'Connor, the Midleton coach, after Lehane's tour de force in that county decider. Midleton manager Ger Fitzgerald threw plenty plaudits Lehane's way. 'He's always been outstanding for us. He's a huge captain, he's our leader. He's a huge influence. Deserved nothing more than that performance and that stage, but it was made for him and he took it.' In March this year Fitzgerald sadly passed away. He had been a constant figure in Lehane's hurling life, also managing him with Cork at U21 level. 'Sure Ger was a gentleman, it's so sad what happened him this year for him and his family,' says Lehane. 'The support that came from the club and what he meant to everyone, showcased in the size of his funeral and the removal and the respect that he got. To be able to say that you won a county together is an incredible memory to have as well.' Last year saw Lehane find his gametime restricted. He started against Offaly and came on as a substitute against Dublin, but was a peripheral presence thereafter. In December he got married, and after the Cork team holiday in Florida, and his honeymoon in South Africa, he returned determined to attack the 2025 season. A dislocated shoulder in February against Limerick, and a torn hamstring after the league, disrupted his plans but he kept focused on the end goal. 'I'd love to have been involved (last year). 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, you've got to take it on the chin 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 of the year is and you'll only end up being in your head. So you've just got to have the frustration of it, park it, and then what's next.' He got a run late on against Waterford in the Munster round-robin as he clipped over a point. The Munster final saw him shine in extra-time, dovetailing with Shane Kingston for the critical contributions that got Cork over the line. Lehane notched a brace of points and smashed home his penalty in the shootout. Against Dublin last time out, he nailed one point and assisted another. When called from the bench, he is eager to impact instantly and has the crystal-clear attitude to achieve that. Related Reads Who are the leading contenders to be 2025 Hurler of the Year? What are the key selection decisions facing the Cork and Tipperary camps? 'He's got a great affinity to these players': Keegan double-jobbing with Lions rugby and Cork hurlers 'Your mindset nearly has to be you could be brought on at any stage. You might be, or you wouldn't be, but you have to just be prepared to the type of impact you want is a positive impact. 'Not necessarily, you don't have to go in and get three points. It's winning the break, winning a free, getting a tackle, getting into the right position, making sure the puckout that's coming up that you're tuned into what that is. 'Making some sort of positive impact to what's actually going on in the pitch rather than going in and feeling that you have to put the pressure, bang in a goal or bang over three points. 'Let that come naturally if it's going to come. Just make sure you're taking it ball by ball and you're making something that helps the team at that moment. 'You want to come on and play well in general but if that overrides what needs to be done for the benefit of the team during that game, then you're in trouble. It has to be what's actually going to benefit everyone.' Twelve years after his maiden All-Ireland final experience, he is back involved. He had a clear view behind Domhnall O'Donovan for the point that rescued Clare in the drawn game and contributed to Cork's now two decade wait to land the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Lehane attended game during the 2005 championship as a youngster but was not presented for the final winning flourish in Croke Park. That Cork side caught his imagination, Ben O'Connor the player of choice that he watched intently. Another chance to emulate those heroes now, the low-key approach after the Dublin game amongst the squad reflective of their awareness of the challenge that awaits. 'The best thing about it, everyone was kind of celebrating and hugging, met the families and stuff but we just went straight back into the dressing room, we had our chat. 'We just went straight to the train station then and headed home. There wasn't any over-celebrating really, we'd been there. The way last year ended, it was nearly like a humbling in a way, just delighted with the win, but back to base again.' *****
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Veteran Conor Lehane keen to make his mark for Cork after 12-year wait for return to All-Ireland final stage
Conor Lehane 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.
