Luke Connolly on Cork football: We are behind with underage coaching and how we develop players

Former Nemo Rangers and Cork star Luke Connolly has opened up for the first time since his departure from the Cork senior football panel.

Connolly wore the Rebel jersey with distinction, playing for the Leesiders at minor, U21 (now U20) and senior level. He won a Munster minor championship medal in 2010 and two U21 provincial crowns in 2012 and 2013.

He was part of the Cork senior team that gained promotion from the Division 3 league in 2020.

His last appearance at inter-county level came in January 2022 when he was introduced for the second half in the McGrath Cup final defeat to Kerry, as it finished up 2-17 to 0-11 in Killarney at a time when Keith Ricken was at the helm.

Connolly retired from football back in January of this year due to injury at the age of 31.

“I absolutely loved playing for Cork and have zero regrets,” he says.

“Did it go the way I wanted it to go? Absolutely not. I have a couple of highlights from a few games but part of me thinks I never really got a proper chance to be the focal point. There were years where I went into Cork on the back of being one of the main forwards in the county championship but couldn’t make the Cork starting 15 and sometimes not even the panel. 

"I had the best year with my club in 2022 when we won the county and it came after I got dropped off the Cork panel earlier in the year, which I would have disagreed with at the time. It put a stain on something I loved doing.” 

There was surprise when Connolly was axed from the Cork senior football panel in 2022, something he will never forget, but is very honest about it.

“It was a week before the opening league game away to Roscommon,” the former sharpshooter said.

“I had struggled with injuries and we were after losing to Kerry in the McGrath Cup down in Killarney. I came on in the second half having come back from injury. I felt good and I was saying to myself that the season starts now. I got a phone call the following day and it was a different conversation. 

"You never want to admit your morality when it comes to sport. Unfortunately it comes around faster than you would like. But, I felt if I had stuck at it, physically I could have made a big impact but it’s a bit rich saying that probably after about eight years of not kicking on. 

"Some of us needed to step away anyway. We had been around long enough and lost enough that it was time for new blood to come through. We had enough chances to bring Cork football forward and failed, let’s be perfectly honest.” 

Connolly played for the seniors during a time when there was little to shout about for Cork football fans. It was a challenging time for everyone.

“There was a massive turnover of players when I played for the Cork seniors. There was that core of the 2010 All-Ireland winning team stepping away and so on. You had players that were in their prime and then lads who were just on the panel so there was that gap where we didn’t have anything in the middle. You need those players in the middle bracket to gel the two.

“But like, we are how many years down the road and we are still having the same conversation. I do think there is an element of underage coaching and how we develop players and it's a bit behind. I know from being involved with some underage teams that we are coaching kids to win games and not to play the game.

“If you have an option of kicking balls over the bar or going to the gym, kick the balls. A lot of Cork players on the senior team aren't comfortable with the ball. We are producing fabulous athletes but when it comes to actual football players, we aren’t producing enough. You can’t have that if you want to progress to the next level." Connolly concluded.