Offaly's own Matt the Thresher "It was the genius of Matt Connor that eventually lifted Offaly out of the shadow of Dublin in 1980," wrote Eoghan Corry in his book 'Catch and Kick'. The young Walsh Island player is remembered the length and breadth of the country for his artistry on the field. His accuracy as a free taker and the records he set are a continuous inspiration to up and coming players. The car accident cut short Matt's glittering career in 1984, left him in a wheelchair. After a tough six months the garda was back at his job in Tullamore Station, ready to embark upon a new way of life. Speaking from work 'Matt the Thresher' recalled the re-emergence of Offaly as a force in the late seventies, which culminated in their crushing Kerry's hopes of making five-in-a-row history in the 1982 All Ireland Final. The controversial late goal by Seamus Darby, two minutes before the final whistle gave Offaly their third all-Ireland win, and a place in the history books. "It was a dream finish, it was a dream even to be playing for the county, never mind to be on the winning All Ireland side," Matt modestly declares. Three other Walsh Island men who hailed from the famous Connor clan played that day - Matt's older brother Ritchie (who captained the team and now manages Laois) and cousins Liam and Thomas (the other lads like to put 'O' before their names and Thomas has since been involved with training teams in Dublin and East Meath). "It was a really good game and a thrilling finish.'' the corner forward remembers. "Offaly went mad for a few weeks, the celebrations went on and on," he says laughing at the memory. Matt attributes his exceptional scoring ability to having spent years at underage level practising his skills. Even then he was gaining credibility as a free taker and it was no surprise to many who had watched the rise and rise of the young player when he went on to overhaul Mick O'Dwyer's ten year record in 1980 with a final figure of 22-135 for that year. At seventeen Matt entered the senior arena playing for the marvellous Walsh Island side of the time. "There were good players on the team when I started, as a couple of families had come up at the same time," the player says of those heady six-in-a-row winning years. "I was lucky, I came into the side when they were building a team, I played for eight years and we won the championship in my first year and my last." A fitting farewell for a team member who had served his side with loyalty and commitment, gaining honours at every turn. As a young boy living in the quiet rural area that is Walsh Island, a piece of fertile ground in east. Offaly completely surrounded by boglands, Matt's preoccupations lay with kicking football. A group of young lads who had congregated on the farm for a game would miraculously become such Offaly greats as Willie Bryan, Tony McTeague, Eugene Mulligan or Nicholas Clavin. Big brother Murt was on that team which captured the All Irelands of '71 and '72 and as an eleven year old Matt dreamed of that day when he would emulate his brother by being selected for the Offaly team. The young boy's expectations never soared higher than the next logical step and aware of the need for discipline and hard work, he set out to fulfil that dream one stage at a time. Encouraged by the precedent laid down by the older members of the Connor family Matt devoted his days to football as he worked his way through the school system. The gifted player earned himself a reputation at Under 21 level, appearing in three Leinster Finals under the tutelage of Eugene McGee. "Eugene got us to believe in ourselves, we were beaten narrowly in one of the Leinster Finals and as most of that team were later involved in the senior side, we felt we could do well." Quietly spoken, with flashes of wry humour, Matt is reluctant to dwell on his own personal triumphs. Preferring to talk about the team as a whole, the player continues recalling the start of Offaly's renewed success. In '78 the county ran a close second to Dublin in the Leinster Provincial Championships. Beaten again by the same side the following year, after enjoying a big lead and having an extra man for most of the game, Offaly then faced the difficult challenge of breaking Dublin's stranglehold in the 1980 Championship. "As you go on standards get better, you want to advance all the time and we really had a lot to play for that day," Matt says. A near capacity crowd filled Croke Park, over 50,000 people having turned out to witness the arch enemies do battle. A dominant Dublin side appeared to have matters in hand, but Matt's goal eleven minutes into the second half invigorated the Offaly players, turning the game on its head. The forward notched up a score of 1-7 during that match, the final score reading 1-10 to 1-8, and victory for ecstatic Offaly. A high scoring duel on semi-final day say Kerry emerge on top. Having scored 2-9 of the 4-10 total, Matt once again proved himself to be an exceptional player. In '81 the Offaly side lined out for another crack of the whip against The Kingdom having beaten Laois in the Leinster Final, and Down in the semi-final. Dogged by injuries at midfield Offaly went down by seven points. The glamour and excitement of big games didn't hold much joy for Matt Connor. The tension before the off and the electricity on the field was only enjoyable for the winning side he says. "Most matches Offaly played were tight games and it is hard to enjoy yourself when the outcome is uncertain," the garda states. Euphoric moments from the many matches he played with both Walsh Island and Offaly, are still recalled and savoured, memories for life. "I have great memories of those days, of the matches and the fellas I have trained with and the friends made," he says. Good friends are hard to come by yet many of Matt's team mates and rivals alike remain in close contact. The accident which brought an abrupt end to his career meant major adjustments to the young man's way of thinking. Football had been everything to him, but what mattered now was the relief at having survived and finding the courage to get on with his life. "I thought this interview was going to be about football," the garda says sharply, on being questioned about the accident. Spoiling the effect by allowing a wide grin to appear, Matt displayed the serious humour which peppers his conversation at regular intervals. "I had an awful lot to get over before I ever thought of the football," he goes on seriously, "although it was my life playing the game." His subsequent involvement helped him to cope with the sudden turn of events shaping his life but having been such a high profile player it also served to remind him of what he had lost. The seriousness doesn't last long as his natural sense of fun resurfaces- "No! " he replies to the question as to whether people treat him differently."Of course they do," he goes on, "they don't know what to say at first, but the people around me treat me just the same." As a selector for the Offaly Minor side since '87 and with the new position of selector for the Under 21 side, the Walsh Island man is kept busy. It is difficult to know whether the job is being done well as he feels all a selector can do is to endeavour to pick the best team. "When you're beaten, people will have different views about the right team to field, " he says smiling. "It is hard to know how the team will do this year, it's easier with the seniors as they are usually the same team, but with the minors it's always changing." The selector is optimistic of their chances all the same. "The team has done well in the league so far, there is good commitment and they are heading in the right direction," he says of his charges. "I like being involved and I would go to all the games anyway and I have a general interest in Offaly in particular," the Island man says. One of the greatest disappointments of Matt's career came in the 1983 Leinster final. Unable to shake off the persistent Dublin side, Offaly were crushed mentally and physically by - their defeat. "We were hot favourites going into that final, the hard part was that we had never been such firm favourites for many years, we should have won - it was so disappointing, although Dublin deserved to win on the day," he says. Three All Star awards, won in '80, '82' and '83 contributed to the best moments in his footballing days. "It's an honour being picked on the Irish team - everyone wants that. On a personal level it is very important, the other medals are for a team effort, the All Star is an individual award." Tommy Drumm, John O'Keeffe, Paudie O'Shea, Mick Lyons, Colm O'Rourke, Tony McManus, Barney Rock, Larry Tomkins and all the Kerry forward line get his votes as being the best players of his era. Asked if there was anything he would like to add to the interview Matt expressed the opinion that he would like to see the open draw tried in the thirty two counties. "It would be the best chance for the weaker teams to make it and improve," he says. "A lot of teams don't put in any effort when they know who they're up against in the draw," a fact which keeps the poorer sides down, he feels. If he has any free time the garda enjoys watching other sports, particularly soccer, and reading. With his job and the total devotion given to the game he will always love, spare time is minimal. "I have won most of the things that I set out to." Matt says casually. How many other players, at twenty four years of age will be able to make a statement like that? Seven years on, in his own inimitable fashion, 'Matt the Thresher', a name presented by that ace of sports writers Con Houlihan, is still carving out a place for himself in GAA history. Taken from Hogan Stand 22nd March 1991 Tweet

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