The Friday Interview: Paudie O'Sullivan
August 09, 2013
Paudie O'Sullivan of Cork with Patrick O'Connor of Clare. INPHO
The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the highly-rated corner forward who was looking forward to his sixth championship campaign in the famous red jersey. The 24-year-old was in action for divisional side Imokilly against Cork IT at Carrigtwohill when he landed awkwardly as he went for a ball. After hearing a crack, he immediately feared the worst.
"I knew straight away it was broken," he remembers.
The game was subsequently abandoned and scans later confirmed that Paudie had suffered a broken fibula and tibia, meaning his season - with Cork at least - was over. If that wasn't bad enough, he was left on a trolley for several hours in Cork University Hospital before finally undergoing surgery.
"It was tough, but you have to move on, in the same way as I did when I tore my cruciate in 2007. The worst of it is behind me, thank God. I've been working with the Cork team physio Declan O'Sullivan for a few months now and I'm slowly but surely getting right again.
"It'll be next year before I'm back playing for Cork, but I could be back playing for the club before the end of this year. If Cloyne are still in the championship, I could push myself to make it back. But things would have to be going very well for that to happen."
He continues: "The only upside to it all was being able to finish my apprenticeship as an electrician. My employers, Sean Ahern Electrical, have been very good to me and very understanding. They've been a great support throughout."
O'Sullivan's injury was one of many setbacks the Rebels have been dealt this year, yet they remain very much alive in the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Since losing the Allianz League Division 1A relegation playoff to Clare (Paudie suffered his injury the following week), Lorcan McLoughlin (shoulder), team captain Pa Cronin (illness) and Brian Murphy (shoulder) have all had spells on the sidelines. However, Murphy's quicker-than-expected recovery means that O'Sullivan is the only one ruled out of Sunday's clash with Dublin.
"It's testament to the strength of the panel that we've made it this far," he enthuses.
"We've had our fair share of knocks - all the injuries, relegation in the league and losing the Munster final - but we've bounced back every time. It's great to be looking forward to an All-Ireland semi-final and to be still in with a shout of winning the All-Ireland."
As frustrating as it has been for Paudie to look on from the sidelines, he's grateful to Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy for keeping him in the loop.
"After I got the injury, Jimmy and Seanie McGrath (selector) asked me if I'd like to stay involved and that meant a lot to me," he explains.
"Obviously, I was delighted to take them up on their offer. I've tried to help out in whatever way I can and lend my support to the team. Because I'm working with Declan O'Sullivan, I'm down at training nearly every night, so it hasn't felt like I've missed out on anything.
"It's great to be still part of the set-up, the pre-match routine and so on. The injury happened just a week-and-a-half after the Clare game and it was a disaster with the championship just around the corner. But everyone has been brilliant to me since then."
Paudie recalls how there was no sense of panic in the Cork camp after the Allianz League had ended in relegation. As he points out, the goal for Cork in 2013 was to leave their mark on the championship.
"Being relegated didn't worry us because all our focus has been on the championship this year. It was the other way around last year when the focus was on doing well in the league and trying to get a settled team.
"It's easy to forget that going into the last round of the league, there was only a puck of a ball between the six teams in Division 1A. All six were in the shake-up for the semi-finals. We were unlucky in that we had to go to Nowlan Park to play Kilkenny in our last game. It was probably the most difficult fixture, but we played very well and were unfortunate to lose by a couple of points.
"Clare then beat us after extra-time in the playoff, but we weren't too disappointed because the championship was our aim."
When Cork and Clare renewed their rivalry in the Munster SHC semi-final, the Rebels exacted revenge thanks to a superb second half display. It was a result which many hadn't foreseen after the Banner had won the previous three encounters between the teams this year.
"It was one of the best halves of hurling we've played in a long time," Paudie says.
"Jimmy Barry-Murphy has put a strong emphasis on not giving away possession and it shone through that day. Last year, we had a lot of new players who have improved and gained a good bit of experience since then. Lads like Luke O'Farrell, Jamie Coughlan and Conor Lehane have really come to the fore.
"We probably needed that injection of new blood because hurling is becoming more and more of a young man's game. All you have to do is look at the likes of Limerick and Clare for proof of that."
Handicapped by having to play the entire second half with 14 players following Patrick Horgan's controversial red card, Cork lost the Munster final to Limerick. But with the Glen Rovers sharpshooter back for the All-Ireland quarter-final after winning his appeal, they put that disappointment behind them by beating the All-Ireland champions Kilkenny.
"It was a massive blow to have Patrick sent off against Limerick. He's our most important forward; our free-taker. We felt we didn't get a chance to do ourselves justice. It was a scorching hot day and that's not the weather you want when you're down to 14 men.
"Thankfully, we were able to redeem ourselves against Kilkenny. We took the game to them in the same way as Dublin had done in the Leinster semi-final. It's the only way you're going to beat them and hope for a bit of luck as well.
"I thought our defence was superb, with Shane O'Neill leading by example. It's a mystery how he hasn't got an All Star. The defence started with our forwards up the other end of the field. They closed down the Kilkenny backs and stopped the supply going in to the likes of Richie Hogan and Colin Fennelly."
The most open and exciting hurling championship in years has thrown up two novel semi-final pairings in Cork v Dublin and Clare v Limerick. While he's obviously hoping the Rebels will go on to claim their 31st All-Ireland title next month, Paudie admits it's impossible to predict a winner at this stage.
"There'll be no-one going to the bookies to put bets on those two All-Ireland semi-finals!" the Cloyne man laughs.
"With all due respect to Kilkenny who have been brilliant champions, it's great because you are going to have a different name on the cup this year. The four teams that are left will all be quietly confident. It's too hard to call."
O'Sullivan is under no illusions about the task facing Cork against a high-flying Dublin side that ended a 52-year wait for Leinster honours last month.
"We played them in a league game in Croke Park last year and, even then, I was very impressed with them. We won by a point and were lucky to do so.
"They've obviously come on in leaps and bounds since then. In winning the Leinster championship, they beat the two teams (Kilkenny and Galway) who were in the All-Ireland final last year. To score 2-25 in the final against Galway was incredible. They have a huge amount of belief and confidence, and I'm sure Anthony Daly will have them well tuned in.
"We'll fancy our chances, but so will Dublin. The four teams left will all be thinking this is going to be their year. It's there for whoever can peak and be the most consistent over the next five weeks."
Paudie first came to prominence in the middle of the last decade when he helped Cork to back-to-back Munster MHC titles. He made his senior debut in 2008, but has no silverware to show for his efforts so far. He did, however, win an Inter-provincial medal in the colours of Munster earlier this year.
A member of one of Cork GAA's most famous families, Paudie is a younger brother of Diarmuid 'The Rock' O'Sullivan, who was full back when the Rebels won All-Ireland titles in 1999, 2004 and 2005. His father Jerry is a former chairman of the Cork county board and is currently vice-chairman of the Munster Council. Tweet
