“I wasn’t aware that I had scored a hat-trick until someone mentioned it after the game, which is actually a good thing because our team was so focused on the next ball, the next pass, and staying in the present moment,” she explained. “It may sound cliched, but that’s the mindset we’ve had for the past few months. It’s been a gradual process, building our skills and playing our style of game. We’ve always been adaptable and our main focus was always on what comes next.”
O’Connor’s performance was flawless, as she scored an impressive 3-7 (3-2 from play) out of 10 shots. Her hat-trick came during a devastating start to the second half, effectively sealing the game’s outcome. This hat-trick is believed to be the fastest ever in a senior All-Ireland final across any sport. Surprisingly, O’Connor revealed that she had a terrible practice session for free-taking the day before.
“I don’t think a single shot went over the bar. Sometimes you have those days where everything you hit goes in, and it’s a rare and wonderful feeling”, she shared. “The sensation of hitting the sliotar with the bas of the hurley is different, so it was great to have one of those days today.”
Despite some setbacks this season, including four consecutive losses, Cork remained resilient. They lost the league final and a round-robin championship game to Galway but never lost faith. O’Connor emphasized the importance of unity within the team and the trust they had in their management.
“To be honest, despite what people were saying about us going through a rough patch, there were only a couple of occasions where we actually performed poorly,” she stated. “Throughout that challenging period, we actually played quite well. The most crucial thing was that we stuck together as a team, supporting each other and believing in our management’s strategies. External opinions didn’t matter to us, and we didn’t even pay attention to being considered favorites.”
O’Connor also acknowledged her club St Vincent’s, a small junior team located on the north side of Cork City. Representing the club and the area was a proud moment for her.
“As someone from a small junior club, today is a very special day for me. Our club hasn’t had much success at this level, so it’s incredibly rewarding to achieve something like this and represent both the club and the local community.”
For Cork manager Matthew Twomey, this victory was particularly meaningful following last year’s All-Ireland final loss to Kilkenny. He stated that beating Kilkenny in the quarter-finals and Galway in the semi-finals this year proved the worthiness of their success. The final’s result displayed the biggest winning margin since 1959.
“Last year, after losing the final, Laura (Treacy, Cork centre-back) and I were devastated, and we couldn’t imagine how we would bounce back. But this year, our sole focus was to win the All-Ireland,” Twomey expressed. “We had a rough patch during the middle of the season, and that seemed to motivate us even more. After our loss to Galway in Athenry, we had a long conversation and soul-searching session. The pressure was on us during the Down and Clare games in the round-robin championship stage, and today’s final was no different. Throughout the season, these players have been incredible, performing their best when their backs are against the wall. Today’s victory is completely deserved; they’ve been outstanding.”
Twomey highlighted that the players carried a lot of pain from their previous defeat into the final. He believed that if they put in a stellar performance, they would have a chance at winning. Their sole focus was on their own performance and not being overwhelmed by the notion of being favorites.
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