When Niall O’Leary comes off the field, it’s not the Sunday Game analysis that concerns him. It’s the Monday morning grilling from his students.
A history and PE teacher at the hurling-mad St Colman’s College in Fermoy, the corner-back gets frank performance reviews from class after class of schoolkids picking apart the weekend’s action.
In that context, it’s no wonder O’Leary places “huge emphasis” on every piece of silverware that’s going.
He waited long enough from his senior debut in 2019 before pocketing that breakthrough league medal last year. The subsequent Munster title won at a packed-out Gaelic Grounds further eased the pressure on this group to start translating performances into trophies.