Ballincollig's Liam O'Connell 'enjoying every minute' as an AFL player

Liam O’Connell’s graph has been trending in the right direction since making a big decision two years ago.

The Ballincollig native, who was a Cork U20 footballer at the time, and was a Cork minor footballer in 2020, was scouted by AFL club St Kilda and made the move Down Under in 2023.

He initially joined as a Category B rookie. The 22-year-old played in seven senior games this year for the Melbourne-based club.

O’Connell is now home for a short period during the AFL off-season.

“The campaign went very well, I made good progress this year, as I felt I also did the year before as well,” he says to The Echo.

“You probably don’t see the results straightaway, they mightn’t come immediately, but you’re just building away the whole time. I have made great progress, really enjoyed everything about this year to be honest.

“I was lucky enough to play a few AFL games this year, played seven of them, and that was a great experience as well for myself.

“I played against a few Irish boys, played against Mark Keane, which was just class in my first game. I played against Mark O’Connor and Oisín Mullen as well. It was a great experience. I'm enjoying every minute of it.” 

O’Connell was born in Cork, but lived in Western Australia for several years as a child, before returning to Ireland when he was 11. Having experienced the other side of the world previously, it did help him when he moved to Australia again in 2023.

“My primary school years were in Australia, the country has everything,” he said.

"The lifestyle is different. I am in Melbourne. You’re away in a big city, and I thought Dublin was big. You go away and you realise, Dublin is a small place. Melbourne’s quite big, and I’m sure even compared to London or other big cities, it’s small enough.

“Then there’s the Aussie rules element, which is so different as well. Everything’s new to you, which can be a shock to the system, so you’re just trying to stay as grounded as you can. So far, it has been a great experience all-round.” 

It has often been said that Gaelic football and Aussie rules have a lot in common, but as O’Connell goes into his third campaign with St Kilda in 2026, he feels the two sports are worlds apart.

“I reckon the more I play, and even going back playing Gaelic football with Ballincollig, the more different I think both Gaelic football and Aussie rules are to be honest.

“The AFL’s probably more of a contested game with the shape of the ball, being able to take it clean makes it such a contested game over in Australia, whereas here, Gaelic football is probably a bit more possession-based, a bit like basketball or soccer.

“The type of running as well, a lot more aerobic running and longer runs in the AFL, whereas it’s probably much shorter explosive runs here with regards Gaelic football. 

"The physicality and tackling are so different between the sports. Both sports are similar to a certain degree and you do hear that, but there are a lot of differences too.

“It has taken time to get used to playing AFL. It's a pretty cool sport to play. After two years, I’m starting to get a grasp on things a bit more. 

"Looking forward to next year, but at the moment, I am really enjoying playing with Ballincollig and can’t wait for the upcoming semi-final.”