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“We’re such a small town. It was obviously the same faces that had been in the crowd since I was 10 years old. It means everything. I kind of broke down, my voice was gone… If I get into it now, I’ll probably start crying again, so I’m not going to do it on camera.”
Always willing to support their players’ non-football lives, the Cats saw this last chance to represent Dingle in the club’s historic All-Ireland Senior Club final appearance as one that should not be denied.
Dingle are the first County Kerry club to appear in the final since Dr. Crokes in 2019 and O’Connor played a key role in the surprise semi-final victory, with the final score of the match in extra time as he won 1-26 to 1-24.
His Dingle team-mates anxiously awaited news on whether he would be able to line up alongside them in the final after their dramatic semi-final win.
“We need him. He’s a massive player for us,” Dingle boss Padraig Corcoran told 42.ie.
“It was great to have him for a few games in the county championship. We didn’t think we’d have him for Munster and then he stayed back and it was a massive bonus for us. It gave the lads a great boost when he came into the tournament.” [semi-final].”
Corcoran also praised Geelong for allowing O’Connor to even make the semi-final.
“We’re very grateful to Geelong for accommodating him,” he said.
Geelong have strong Irish links in their men’s and women’s programs, with Zach Tuohy playing alongside O’Connor in the 2022 premiership and O’Connor and Oisin Mullin playing for the Cats in last year’s grand final loss to the Lions. Cillian Burke is also in Cats. In 2025, there were 12 AFL players and 39 AFLW players from Ireland on rosters across the leagues.
The All-Ireland Senior Club Championship is a distinct competition from the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, which was won in 2009 by defending Sydney premiership champion Tadhg Kennelly for Kerry after playing in the flag for the Swans in 2005.
The competition in which Kennelly played was between counties, while the final on January 18 is between clubs.
Mark O’Connor was involved in one of the most controversial moments of last year’s finals series during the qualifying final. Credit: AFL photo
Both competitions are regarded as the most prestigious and important competitions in Gaelic football, with Dingle making their first ever All-Ireland Senior Club final appearance.
Dingle were considered underdogs to win the semi-final against Ballyboden St Enda’s but will now have the red and white-clad town fervently hoping to beat St Brigid’s in the Andy Merrigan Cup, with O’Connor’s availability a significant boost.
As Dingle captain Paul Geaney said The Irish Times: “For Mark, it’s a bonus every time he performs.
“Obviously the job is not done. We want to win the All-Ireland but the first goal was to get to Croke Park. Now we have to win it.”
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