by Jackie Cahill

Rising AFL star Colin O'Riordan admits that Tipperary's stunning Munster SFC semi-final victory over Cork on Sunday has fuelled his desire to represent his county again.

O'Riordan revealed how he felt like the "proudest Irishman in Sydney" when he woke at 4am on Monday morning Down Under to discover that Tipp had overcome Cork in senior championship football for the first time in 72 years.

O'Riordan, forging a new life for himself as a professional with the Sydney Swans, couldn't get back to sleep as his mobile phone buzzed with messages of good-will following those seismic events in Thurles.

He was up eating breakfast at 6am and the 20-year-old proudly wore a Tipperary jersey into the Swans training ground, as he tried to explain to puzzled team-mates just how big a result this was.

"My heart was racing, I couldn't get back to sleep," says O'Riordan, a Tipp senior star in 2014 and 2015.

"I texted most of the (Tipp) lads to be honest, as many as I could, to let them know that I hadn't forgotten about them. Emotion took over and I had a tear in my eye.

"I was the proudest Irishman in Sydney to be honest.

"I went training after that, into the club on a bit of a high."

Over the weekend, the Swans reserve team suffered their first defeat of the season, going down by just a point (108-109) in the local derby against the Greater Western Sydney Giants.

But it was another good outing for O'Riordan, who was ranked fifth best on the day for the Swans in the North East AFL clash, racking up 23 possessions.  

The first team also lost to the Giants and so while it was a low weekend for the club in general, Tipp's exploits provided a real 'pick me up' for O'Riordan.  

Still, the 2011 All-Ireland minor medallist felt that he was "a bit off" against the Giants and will aim to bounce back with a positive display against Aspley at the Sydney Cricket Ground next weekend.

He said: "I just felt myself I was a bit off. It was little things, letting lads slip in behind me, stuff that I'd pride myself on, my bread and butter. But that's the beauty of it over here - you get a chance again next weekend."

O'Riordan's spirits were lifted by his former Tipp colleagues and while he accepts that the Premier County will be rank outsiders against Kerry in the Munster final on July 3, he insists that his former colleagues won't be fazed by the prospect of visiting Killarney.

He said: "The boys are fairly head-strong that way. Many of them grew up feeling that winning semi-finals wasn't good enough, they had to go and push on.

"Kerry is another fierce challenge down in Killarney, not an easy place to go and we might be 100-1 outsiders but that won't faze the boys.

"They'll have a right crack off them and you'd never know what might happen. Finals are strange in a lot of ways."

As O'Riordan digested the Cork result, he admits that while he was over 17,000km away from Thurles, his mind and emotions were very much invested in events at Semple Stadium.

"I woke at 4 and I said to myself that I have to check the score," he says.

"I was tagged in a tweet saying that 'Colin will be smiling in Sydney.'

"I was thinking 'they couldn't have won, it couldn't be?' It was mayhem online, mad.

"It was weird alright, I felt so close to the boys and then a million miles away.

"The football family in Tipp is very small but everyone feels really close regardless.

"There's a bond there that will last a while, built through underage success."

O'Riordan was captain of the Tipperary U21s that stormed to Munster glory in 2015 and he admits that this senior success had him dreaming of lining out for his county again.  

"I'd love to," he confirms. "Last night whetted my appetite even more. The weirdest things to through your head, like 'could I get home for the Munster final? Will I, won't I?' But then you come out of dreamland and back to reality.

"There's no chance of that and it takes you back a step but I'd love to play for Tipp again."

O'Riordan plans to watch the final against Kerry, which will throw-in at 2pm in Killarney, an 11pm start time for the Killea native on that Sundaynight.

"I'll go to some pub and watch it," he says. "There's no chance of me getting home, which is a bit disappointing but hopefully they'll have more days when I'm involved.

"It was strange enough when word came through that the lads had beaten Cork.

"I was lying in bed, looking up the ceiling and thinking about all the great times we had together as a team, how far we've come since we started and the journey we're on.

"I don't want this to be about me," he stresses. "This is 100 per cent about the boys. I had a small part to play but the boys have been unreal to get the win against all the odds.

"Everybody in the country was surprised but I knew going out that we wouldn't fear Cork. I was chatting to 'Achey' (Tipp captain Peter Acheson) on text messages on Friday. I said to him ' don't let this be your last game in the Munster championship - have a crack.' He said he would and I got a sense from him that he was up for it. Once Achey tells you he's going to have a crack, the other 14 boys will.

"To go in as underdogs and win the way they did, there's no better feeling in any sport, especially after such a long wait, 72 years.

"When it all comes to fruition, it's a bit surreal and I'm sure the boys felt that.

"I'm sure they woke up with a few sore heads, pinching themselves to see if this is real but they have to push on again, concentrate and get back on the road."

Tweet

Most Read Stories