Cian O'Sullivan's speed of thought makes him hard to catch

By John Harrington

Dublin’s Cian O’Sullivan is a great example for any young forward that quick wits are just as important as fast feet.

The St. Brigid’s man is no slouch, but it’s the intelligence of his movement rather than the speed of it that marks the 2025 All-Star out as something special.

He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time which means he wins a lot of possession, and his first touch and shooting is of such a high calibre that he invariably makes very good use of any ball he gets his hands on.

This game intelligence is something that he’s worked hard to develop in the wake of two hamstring surgeries that made him rethink his role in attack.

"One of the lads asked me there during the week, he was like, 'Do you sprint anymore?’

“I try not to,” says O’Sullivan.

“I try to be on the right side of the break. The body is all good at the moment, but there's just that element of if I have to go flat-out all the time, the body isn't able for it.

“That was a hurdle I had to get over when I was coming back from the second surgery. I was like, you have to reinvent yourself regarding being an inside forward. How often as an inside forward are you sprinting 100 per cent for 30, 40 metres? Never.

“Now it's a game of trying to get your two, three yards of space inside when you're playing that deep full-forward line. And then your touch has to be A1, because if your legs aren't able to make up for your bad touch, you're just not going to be starting.

“With the type of profile of player that we have now with Ronan Hayes and John Hetherton, it kind of has made me think differently about what it is to be an inside forward.

“So much of the game now is played on the ground because no one's winning primary possession anymore. It's ground ball after ground ball. If I can be as effective as I can in that capacity of the game, then that's going to be for the betterment of the team."

If you think back to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final between Cork and Dublin, chances are what comes immediately to mind is the fact that the Rebels scored seven goals in a one-sided victory.

The game wasn’t just a showcase for Cork’s attacking brilliance though, but also O’Sullivan’s.

On a badly beaten team he managed to score 2-5 from play and display the full array of skills that earned him an All-Star last year.

"That Cork game here last year was probably a bit of a double-edged sword,” says O’Sullivan.

“It was probably my best game in a Dublin jersey, but we didn't perform as a team in any capacity, conceding seven goals and losing in the manner that we did.

“I know I played well that day but the team didn't, so that's where the mindset is at. It wasn't the way I wanted the season to end. There were congratulations in order for myself or whatever to say I'm at that level and it was a good season across the board.

“And it's not that you feel like a bit of an impostor up on the stage with the lads from Tipp and Cork, but it was probably a bit of a weird one. It almost felt like the All-Star was a bit of a sympathy vote towards Dublin and the season we had.

“We know we can be there in amongst the best of them so the aim for this year is to have three or four lads up on that stage and that will be reflected by where we get to in the All-Ireland series. Ultimately when you're in a team sport, you want the team results to be the priority."

The defeat to the Cork was a real low following the high of Dublin’s quarter-final win over Limerick.

It was a stark reminder that Dublin hurling is still a bit away from really making the big time. Not just because of the scale of the defeat, but the extent to which Dublin supporters were vastly outnumbered by Cork’s on the day.

Football is still clearly king in the capital, and O’Sullivan would love if the hurlers could benefit from the presence of a bigger and more vocal sixteenth man.

"Yeah, you would,” he says. “For that Limerick game last year, in the first half there was hardly anyone at the game. There was a fair few hurling supporters at the game, but then around halfway through the second half, you could see the Hill filling up.

“People were obviously out on Jones Road having a few cans, waiting for the football to start, and then they all started coming in. By the time the two goals went in and I think it was the 55th minute, the Hill was almost full to capacity with Dubs fans.

“But I remember going around in the parade in the semi-final against Cork. It was a good buzz, I'm not going to lie. It was my first time experiencing the full house, 82-and-a-half-thousand. But I was halfway around in the parade when I realised that these are all cheering for Cork.

“The Dubs do get behind us. I remember hearing a few 'Boys in Blue' chants throughout the Cork game, particularly when we got it back to four or five points there in the first half.

“Throughout the last decade or so, Dublin fans have been mainly football fans but getting a full attendance at hurling games now in Parnell will be the next thing for us against Kildare in two weeks and hopefully we'll get a good following down to Offaly at the weekend."

“I'd appeal to all the masses to come out and support the hurlers because I think there's going to be something good happening in the next couple of years."

So, what’s it going to take to transform Dublin from a team with potential into one capable of winning provincial and All-Ireland honours?

"I'd say a lot of it is internalised,” says O’Sullivan. “There's no one from the outside bigging us up. There's no one from the traditional hurling counties that wants us to be there in the top six or top four every year.

“I think if we do find that final piece, and if you interview any Dublin hurler, it's consistency, consistency, consistency. That has become a bit of a buzzword now and it's all about showing up.

“There are some unbelievable hurlers there in that Dublin squad. When you talk about putting the team first, if that hits the nail on the head, there's no reason we can't be in a semi-final every year and then pushing on."