Gavin Connolly keeping up a family tradition

In less-enlightened medical times, it might not have been all that noteworthy for a goalkeeper to be unable to remember large parts of a match.

Thankfully, concussion protocols are stronger now and such incidents are rare – Gavin Connolly’s amnesia regarding Blackrock’s recent Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC win over Kanturk was for a happier reason.

On the Thursday before the Saturday fixture, Connolly’s partner Niamh was in labour, with baby Bobby born on the Friday morning.

“On Thursday, I had to tell Jamie [Harrington, Blackrock manager] that I wouldn’t make training,” he says.

“He understood, obviously. The warm-up and the first half of the match were a blur, the second half the caffeine tablets kicked in!”

The arrival of the latest member of the clan was marked with a clean sheet and a 1-20 to 0-18 triumph set up the Rockies for tomorrow night’s city derby against St Finbarr’s at Páirc Uí Rinn (7.30pm).

A derby clash with the Togher side provided Connolly’s senior championship debut a decade ago and, with his 30s just five days away, he enjoys such ‘old firm’ bouts as much as ever.

While the presence of teams like the Barrs have made it tougher for Blackrock to add to their 2020 county title, Connolly relishes the clashes.

“That’s the standard in Cork now,” he says. “There are five or six clubs that can win it and then Imokilly, obviously.

“Sars getting to an All-Ireland final last year after losing to Imokilly, and beating an unbelievable Ballygunner team along the way, that shows Cork hurling is definitely on the up.

“It’s great to see clubs like the Glen back up Premier Senior – they’re the teams you want to be playing, in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Páirc Uí Rinn against the big guns. The atmosphere is always unreal and the build-up leading into it.”

HERITAGE

Connolly of course comes from a strong Blackrock blood-line – his mother Carol is a daughter of Mick Cashman and sister of Tom and Jim.

While much of the current generation play in defence – Niall and John Cashman do so, as does cousin Shane Kennedy of St Finbarr’s and even Connolly’s brother Alan started off there before relocating to attack – Gavin takes after his grandfather in keeping goal.

“I was very lazy underage!” he laughs.

“Jim Cash was, was our coach growing up and Dave Cash my cousin was involved, too. That's when it kind of started, as far as I can remember, around U11 or so.

“I suppose when I was 14, I think I made it onto a Tony Forristal panel on the bench and I enjoyed it.

“It was a great help then as well when I was growing up, seeing Trevor Barry and Frankie Barry.

“Jim was still playing senior and Niall and I would be down in the club watching training – we’d always watch the goalkeepers because you wanted to see goals and you'd see Trevor and Frankie diving around the place. It was brilliant to watch.”

Connolly’s senior debut came during a period where Blackrock were trying to get back to the heights of old but his crop had enjoyed success at under-age and in 2017 the club reached a first senior final in 14 years.

While they lost to Imokilly, it laid down a marker – though a mix of cruciate and shoulder injuries would limit Connolly’s involvement across the next two years.

Thankfully for him and the Rockies, his return in 2020 coincided with an 18-year drought ending. A large role in that effort was played by Alan, five years Gavin’s junior, as they played together for the first time at senior.

“It's unreal – I didn't think it would get to me so much being able to play with him," he says.

"We’re close off the field, as well. Ourselves and Stephen, the eldest, who lives in Dublin, we’d be on to each other constantly, slagging each other.

When you see what people are saying about him online after some of the Cork games, you would feel protective about him but Alan's as cool as they come.

“Nothing really fazes him – I wish I could be a bit more like him that way!”

CONFIDENCE-BUILDING

In 2022, Blackrock went close to another title, losing the final to the Barrs. Connolly’s performances - including penalty-shootout heroics in the quarter-final against Imokilly - earned him a place on the Reardens All-Star team and also an invitation from Pat Ryan to join the Cork panel.

“I said I'd just give it a shot and see what it was like,” he says. “I did it for five or six months – at the end of it, you're on the bench waiting and you can't play with your club the day before.

“Going from starting with Blackrock to nearly being one of the main men and then going to a quarter-final where you're a number, it was difficult.

“At the same time, it was great training and I definitely got more confidence from it.”

Such confidence is also allowed to develop from the faith shown in him by Harrington at club level, with Connolly’s restarts a key asset in the Blackrock arsenal.

“I'm very lucky with Jamie that he lets me run our own puck-outs,” he says.

“Obviously, he has a say in them but we sit down together and we go through where we can target other teams and quick restarts is obviously a massive thing now with structures and defending puck-outs and stuff getting the ball out as quick as you can.

“I'm there half-an-hour before training and any of the forwards or midfielders or half-backs want to stay out and get a few short or long puckouts, I'm more than happy to hit balls in 15 or 20 minutes, it's just practice, repetition and trusting yourself.

“Jamie is brilliant, he's the best manager I've played for. 

He's coached me since I was nine or 10 years old when I was growing up, so to get to play for him at senior is special.

“There’s a trust built over the last 20 or 15 years, so it's nice. He's able to he asks us questions as well about what we think.

“We all just bounce off each other; it's nice.”