Conor Lehane ready for action
Cork's Conor Lehane pictured ahead of the All-Ireland SHC Final. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Stephen Barry
Conor Lehane was 21 when he played in his first All-Ireland final. He’s been waiting another 12 years to get back on that pitch again for hurling’s blue-riband day.
Having come so close in 2013 and stormed to a Munster title the following season, he could never have thought it’d take so long for it to come back around.
Lehane was dropped for the 2021 campaign, when Cork made it back to the final. His club form forced a recall, and they battled back to the decider last year. However, Lehane was not called upon for either the semi-final or final.
Pat Ryan has remarked how easy it would’ve been for the Midleton man to walk away. He was getting married last December, and the Bulmers employee has plenty going on in life off the field.
That wasn’t his attitude. He kept fit through the honeymoon to South Africa and continues to hold one of the lowest body-fat percentages on the panel.
A dislocated shoulder and hamstring injury kept him sidelined for months, but the Munster final going to extra-time was the sliding-doors moment he needed. Instead of one minute as a last-gasp sub, he got 21. In that time, he scored 0-2, won a pointed free, and stitched his penalty in the shoot-out. “Every player that's involved wants to be getting as much game time as humanly possible. Everyone wants to be impacting positively, and when it doesn't happen, you'd be heartbroken in a way,” says Lehane.
“But that's the whole gig. It's sport. It's not meant to be this nice ‘everyone gets a go’. Every player here has experienced the highs and lows of coming on, hopefully with a big win, and others not coming on at all, and mentally dealing with that.”
How did he process the double disappointment of the 2024 final? “I’d have loved to have been a part of it and try to make an impact, but it's about being a grown-up as well.
“If that's not the case, then you've got to take it on the chin, regroup, and just drive on. You've no other choice really. If you get too caught up in it, you'll only end up getting distracted and not being focused enough for whatever the next stage is. You'll only end up being in your head.
“You've just got to have the frustration of it, park it, and then, what's next?”
Lehane notched 2-3 against Limerick in the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final. Starved of opportunities, it took him another seven years until the Dublin semi-final for his next score at GAA headquarters. “I didn't realise that. That's kind of sad,” he deadpans, before breaking into laughter.
Conor Lehane and Brian Hayes celebrate following Cork's All-Ireland SHC Semi-Final win over Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
“Seven years? You really don't know what's going to happen. You genuinely don't know what's around the corner. As you get older, you'd understand that a bit better. You've to go through the ups and downs of something to appreciate that a bit more.
“You're always aware of it, but until it actually happens, you get a real insight of how gutting it can be when things don't go as expected. But it's your reaction to it and how you apply yourself to the next thing is key. That starts way, way before something that might happen.
“Seven years later, the good mentality for that could happen years prior, so it's key just to make sure the disappointment that's there is addressed, parked, and then it's what's up next, and make sure you're bringing your best self to that.”
With crowds limited by Covid, Lehane watched the 2021 final at home. His emotions oscillated between “buzzing” for the lads and being “gutted” over missing out.
He didn’t feel the need to prove a point in the subsequent club championship, but captaining Midleton to the title led Kieran Kingston to change his mind. “I genuinely accepted that that was it,” he recalls.
“He (Kingston) just rang me at the end of the year, met up for a coffee, and we had a chat. The option was there. I went home, had a think about it, and gave him my decision. Once I had the few days, it was a straightforward answer.”
The evening before the Munster final, Lehane was at Clonmel Racecourse presenting prizes on behalf of his employers. The next day, he was the one collecting a trophy.
There is one piece of silverware remaining on the list for that long-serving generation of Lehane, Patrick Horgan, Séamus Harnedy, and Damien Cahalane. “As long as you've got a couple of other lads in their 30s, you feel a bit better,” smiles Lehane.
“Hoggie and Sham will always be four and two years older than me, so I can always use that against them no matter what.”
When asked about Horgan’s crusade for that elusive Celtic Cross, Lehane’s response reflects his attitude towards his own game time.
“Someone like him certainly deserves one, but that's the cruelty of sport too. Regardless if you deserve it or not doesn't mean you'll get it. But certainly everyone is behind him that way.”
