by Damien Irwin
The Irish Examiner
Wednesday, 11th September 2002

For Cork senior camogie player Paula O'Connor, Sunday's showdown with Tipperary is a bit more complicated than she thought it would be.

The minute her own game is over next Sunday, Cork's half-back will seek out her mother somewhere in the Cusack Stand and, after mother and daughter embrace and come to terms with the huge emotional experience of playing in an All-Ireland final, Paula will fire out a question: "How did the lads do?"

The lads are her brothers Ben, Gerry and John and, in an unfortunate clash of fixtures, they line out in the Cork county senior hurling final on Sunday with Newtownshandrum at the same time as Paula will be doing her tour of duty with the camogie team.

The minute the lads' game is over they will ask the very same question of their father, who will be attending the match in Pairc Ui Chaoimh: "How did Cork do? How did Paula get on?"

And Paula wishes she could be there to support her brothers: "I'm very disappointed that I can't be there. It's just such a pity that they clashed. Newtown is a hurling mad area and if I weren't playing for Cork on Sunday I would be up there shouting for them. And if the match wasn't on in Cork they'd be up in Dublin supporting me."

So it is that her nine siblings will be in Cork. Three are playing with six supporting (the youngest, Steve, who is seven, may be team mascot), including her father Bernie. Her mother Kathleen will make the trip to Dublin. Instead of carping on about 10 going to Cork and one going to Dublin, Paula is pleased that her family will at least be represented there.

It is only this year that the 22-year-old has cemented her place firmly on the starting 15 at wing-back where she has been very impressive in Cork's march into the final.

Now all the training sessions seem to be worthwhile. All the early morning starts getting up at 7.30 on a Saturday morning to make training in Cork at 10am.

Clare with Ger Loughane weren't the only team who have battled out of bed for strenuous pre-breakfast training. And, living with two senior inter-county hurling players, she is in an ideal position to judge the levels of commitment required by their respective sports. "In terms of commitment there is just as much expected and just as much required for the girls as for the boys' team." Sometimes there's even more.

"We trained usually on a Saturday morning as well as a few sessions during the week this year and sometimes on the Saturday I would have to get the 10 past eight bus from Charleville which is a couple of miles from where I live and that bus would get in about an hour later. Then, I would usually ring Ciara (Healy, a fellow panel member) to collect me and bring me to training."

Again, this isn't delivered as a litany or a complaint, more like "this is what I have to do and if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes."