Con O Callaghan was named EirGrid under 21 Player of the Month for March.
By Cian O'Connell
Young footballers in the capital are beginning to understand the importance of staying patient. Con O’Callaghan is on the fringes of the Dublin panel, but the gifted attacker is primed to announce his senior arrival soon.
Dublin’s EirGrid All Ireland under 21 Championship challenge was terminated at the semi-final stage by eventual winners Mayo. O’Callaghan’s relevance to that Dublin team is perfectly illustrated by the 3-24 (3-11 from play) the Cuala forward registered in four matches.
The next step O’Callaghan wants to take is to earn a place in a Dublin matchday squad this summer. “I’m reasonably happy with my form, the 21s campaign was quite good,” O’Callaghan, who was named EirGrid Player of the Month for March, told GAA.ie. “The thing with the senior panel is that you don’t get as many chances so when you do get one you just have to take it.
“You have to set short and long term goals. I’ve missed a lot with the seniors because of the under 21s so I need to prove myself in training and the matches in training. Over the summer I hope to get from being outside to maybe being in a matchday panel first. That is what I’d like to do.
“The week before the Club Championship I was in for training, and we will be with the clubs for the next week or so. I think I’m going back in for training then.”
Con O Callaghan celebrates scoring a goal in the EirGrid All Ireland under 21 semi-final.
Mayo were crowned EirGrid All Ireland under 21 champions following a gripping competition, with O’Callaghan reflecting on what might have been. “You look at it thinking we could have been there, but Mayo showed composure in the final few minutes against us,” O’Callaghan admitted. “We lost our shape a bit, and we fell off when it counted in the closing stages.
“It was a real roller-coaster match. Similar to the Kildare game we had a poor start before regrouping. While Mayo showed character to win, we had shown character too.
“Unfortunately late on we just couldn’t transition the ball from defence to attack and Mayo were able to get the scores.”
For the immediate future O’Callaghan is eager to maintain his sporting education alongside the marquee names in the Dublin forward line. “Absolutely it is a great place to learn,” O’Callaghan acknowledges.
“You are playing with lads that you have watched for the past five years. It is brilliant to learn from them. Just to watch how they train and their approach to training, you also simply learn a lot by just talking to them about different things. It is a great experience being involved.”
