2001 – Where are they now?

A check-in with the starting team of 2001.

1. John O'Connell

John would have been better known as a wing forward but successive injuries to Andy Lynch led to his conversion to keeper. It proved a successful move as he was a very steady head between the sticks. John's personality wouldn’t do panic and that made him a great guy to play in front of.

Where is he now? In recent years he has stepped into the breach when the team has been stuck but by and large he is now retired.

2. Michael O'Sullivan

2001 was Mick Sull's breakthrough season. I think it was the South-East semi-final against Shamrocks when he broke into team and he hasn’t been out since. He had a tough task that day, marking Kevin O'Sullivan in a two man full forward line but acquitted himself well. Despite spending six or seven years in Dublin, he continued to be a fixture in the team as well as captain for a period. He has also been a regular on the Carrigdhoun Senior Football team for years.

Where is he now? Pretty much where he was then; playing in the full back line.

3. Lyndon Kiely

One of the most talented footballers to come out of Kinsale. Couple his talent with his powerful frame and you get a fairly devastating full back. He was on a Cork Minor team who were beaten by Kerry but went on to win an All-Ireland with the Cork Juniors in 2000. He also put in a more than respectable performance marking The Gooch in the first series of The Underdogs.

He looked to be gone off the scene this year after injuries had caught up with him. However, he reappeared at the quarter final stage at full forward and has been a steadying influence since. Surrounded by young players, his presence is important to ensure they don't get bullied by more seasoned opposition.

Where is he now? Full forward

4. Dave Barrett

I'm not sure of the logic of playing me, a right footer, in the left corner and Mick Sull in the right corner with his left foot. That was the way we lined up in 2001. It was something of a 'comeback' year for me. I'd broken onto the team as a minor in 1999 but had been badly exposed in the opening exchanges of the South-East final that year.

I survived until full-time but the memory had lodged in the selectors minds. 2000 proved very frustrating as I started and finished every single league and challenge game. I was on the bench for the first round of the Championship against Carrigaline. I started and did well at wing back against Shamrocks in the next round before being dropped for the semi against Crosshaven.

A late cameo wasn't enough to earn a starting place against Courcies in the final and maybe it was just as well as it was one of the most miserable performances we delivered in the last ten years. We had new management in 2001 and they placed all their faith in the younger players and I’d benefit from that.

I started on Kieran Daly in the 2001 final but moved to wing-back when they brought him out as a third midfielder. I put in a good shift on Jason Whooley but it was a massive step up. They were one of the fittest and strongest teams I ever faced and as I mentioned previously, they were a Senior team playing Junior. No doubt about it.

5. Jeremy Keohane

He too was breaking through in 1999. Funnily enough, he would benefit most from my struggles in the '99 final as we switched corners and he went on to win man of the match!! Powerful like Lyndon and with a great recognition of his strengths. He would rarely make a wrong decision. A human wrecking ball. In those days he would have been a very committed player but in years after he would become distracted and disinterested.

Where is he now? The lads have him back and fully focused this campaign and he is a lead figure in the defence, lining out at centre back.

6. Ricky O'Hanlon

Ricky was a year older than me and a hugely talented underage player, captaining our Minor team in 1998. How he never even got a sniff of playing Cork Minor shows up everything that was wrong with the Cork Minor set up back then. Ricky would go on to join Lyndon on The Underdogs but it was at club level he would make the biggest impact. Better known as a forward, Ricky was converted to play centre back in 2001.

His long clearances suited our game plan and he adjusted remarkably well to the position. He was immense that year. In future years he would revert to a role in the forwards where he would get us out of jail more than once, 2005 against Ballinhassig being the one that springs to mind. Also became a regular for Carrigdhoun Seniors.

Where is he now? He wouldn't say he is retired yet but he has been working in London for the last six years so he's pretty much in the same boat as me.

7. Kenny O'Regan

As I get further through the team I get reminded more and more what a steely defence we had. Kenny is like an iron bar, with a set of fists which did a fair bit of damage in the boxing ring. He spent some of his childhood in the States and that was probably why he was in his best buddy Lyndon's shadow as an underage player. 2001 was his year though. Anyone who was in Drimoleague for the semi against Adrigole would remember his match winning goal. It was a trademark run from wing back and a rocket finish from an unattractive angle.

Kenny flirted with the U-21 panel in 2000 but in the end he settled for winning an All-Ireland Junior medal alongside Lyndon that year. Carrigaline would have been our big underage rivals around that time and Nicholas Murphy was their star. They may have followed different paths since but you can be sure Nicholas never forgot their match ups. Kenny became a regular Cork Junior and Carrighdhoun Senior.

Where is he now? Still playing football but unfortnautely for Kinsale, in Boston.

8. Gearoid Condon

He was part of one of the most successful underage teams Kinsale has produced. My brother John was also on those teams. The age gap was four years and I can remember being in awe of them as we travelled around the County following their success. Gearoid would have been 24 in 2001 but he was pretty much the only survivor from that generation of players. What a shame.

He was captain in 2001 and it was that summer in which we became good buddies. He didn't look like an enforcer but on a team with so many young players, he was the one who would do the sorting out if an opposition player was acting the maggot. I can remember Blondie (former Kinsale G.A.A. hero) saying he should pack up his boots and sell them at Bolands Corner. He was one of those players that only a teammate would truly appreciate. Selfless, with a great brain. He'd come up against more talented players but would put a lot of thought into how to counter them and more often than not he would be a match for any of them.

Where is he now? Playing Junior and managing the Intermediates on Sunday. In his playing days, Blondie was one of his detractors. Nowadays, he has many many more.

However, without bias, I would say he is one of the main reasons the team in contesting Sunday's final.

9. William Cummins

Son of the famous Cork dual star Ray Cummins (who was a selector that year). That may be the toughest cross to bear. William was a Cork Minor with Lyndon and a schools star with Criost Ri. When he finished school in 1998 he went up to The Curragh to become a pilot and from then on, it became an awful chore for him to get released for matches and training. I remember playing Dohenys in 2000 in the U-21 County. He raced down the night of the game but hadn't been released in time and I can still see him standing, looking on from the wrong side of the fence.

2001 would be his final year with us but he remains one of the most stylish players we have had. That was his best year.

Where is he now? Still in The Curragh with the army. As far as I know his football & hurling days are at an end.

10. Colm McCarthy

One of the most diligent trainers I ever came across. Sometimes he probably over trained. Unbelievable work rate and has shown great versatility over the years, playing in virtually every line of the pitch. Has juggled working in Dublin with reinventing himself as a back (where he started out actually) this year and claiming a starting berth. Along the way he played with Carrighdhoun Seniors and that spot was secured after his performances in 2001.

Where is he now? Most likely manning one of the defensive berths on Sunday.

11. Conor O’Brien

What a talent. I’ve marked my share of decent forwards but you’d rarely find one with the full package. Barry Gray had blistering pace. Gerry Murphy was mercurial. Gavin Farrissey had a great brain. And they are just the lads I’d mark in training. Colm O'Neill is the natural stand out when I consider the opponents from other teams. I remember saying after the 2005 County QF that I didn't think he had the pace to play Cork Senior (how wrong I was!). O'Neill was the guy most like Conor to mark.

Conor didn't have blistering pace but countered any shortcoming in that area with his strength. You might arrive at the ball around the same time as him but he could muscle you out of it. Four years in UL coupled with a few more in Dublin probably held his progress back. He should have been a Cork Junior and Carrigdhoun Senior at least.

In 2001, his connection with Gerry Murphy was a joy to watch. It was as if Gerry had found the heir to his thrown and their link-up play was unrivalled. In the first half of the 2001 final he went desperately close to getting a goal before the interval. That would have sent us in ahead. It may not have been enough but who knows.

Where is he now? After delivering a master class in the 2009 QF against Fermoy, he packed his bags and headed for Oz. At the time of writing, he is somewhere in a camper van in New Zealand. Don't be surprised if you see him on the edge of the square next year.

12. Brian O'Connell

Brian joined us late in 2000 and was a magnificent addition. He had won a Sigerson with Queens and had soaked up everything he was taught. He had all the right habits, on and off the pitch. Brian was a mature footballer, less of a rough diamond that any of the rest of us.

He was also very versatile. In 2001 he lined out at wing forward but in 2005 he would man the centre back spot. He's one of the guys I most enjoyed playing with. Coolness personified and tidy off both feet. I learned a lot from him.

Where is he now? New Zealand. And I'm pleased to say that after becoming a bit disillusioned with football in his last few years in Kinsale, he's back playing down there.

13. Noel O'Sullivan

Noel was the big benefactor from Gavin Farrisseys injury in the quarter final against Mitchelstown and earned his stripes in the semi against Adrigole with a goal.
He was a jack of all trades and as the team developed that cost him. Knee injuries didn't help but he recovered to play his part in 2001.

Where is he now? Retired from football and in goal for the Hurlers.

14. Fergal O'Hanlon

'Horse' as he was known. I'm not sure if it was because when he was younger he wanted to be a jockey or if it was because he grew into a giant of a man.

Our tactics then were very simple. Let the ball in long to horse and the rest would play off him. When he blew hot, he could destroy anyone such was his power and big hoof. Nightmare for a small man at training like me to mark.

Where is he now? Not quite retired but barely active last I heard.

15. Gerry Murphy

Kerryman. Captained Laune Rangers to the All-Ireland Senior club in 1996. We never got to the bottom of his Kerry career but he was there or there abouts. Gerry suffered badly with back and knee injuries and that is regularly cited as the reason he didn't cement a place on the Kerry team.

He was still an awesome force when he joined us in 1999 and won me my medal that year. 40 yards out, into the wind in Riverstick to give us the lead for the first time in the last minute.

Him being corner forward and me being corner back meant that I got to know him pretty well. It was a great challenge to mark him. Some nights you'd go home and sit on the couch with your head in your hands wondering why you even bother trying to mark him. Other nights you'd be buzzing because you just broke even. What a talent and he was immense in 2001.

Where is he now? Owns The Greyhound Bar in Kinsale. Trained us in the mid 00's and is still on hand to give advice when required.

There were many more lads who played a role that year but these were the men who started the final. Five lads remain, four playing - not bad ten years on. Five more emigrated and the rest are retired.