Wexford's Barry O'Connor is determined to make the most of his AFL opportunity.

A son of Model County legend George and a cousin of current Wexford hurler Rory O'Connor, he arrived in Australia on Tuesday for a two-week trial with the Sydney Swans. Fellow Wexford man Ronan Devereux, Sligo’s Luke Towey, Peadar Mogan of Donegal and Armagh’s Ross McQuillan have also travelled to Australia this week to take part in a two-week AFL international combine.  

“I just want to learn as much as I can about the game, try to improve and try to make an impression so the Swans want to pick me up,” O’Connor - who was part of the Wexford senior football panel earlier this year - told SwansTV. 

“That’d be the dream scenario, but I also just want to enjoy the experience, take in as much as possible and learn.”

O'Connor added that club legend and Kerry All-Ireland winner Tadhg Kennelly and Tipperary's Colin O'Riordan have made him feel welcome at the Swans.

“Colin was able to talk me through the process of how he got over to Australia and how he started a career here. It was nice to speak to someone who came from a similar place,” O’Connor said. 

“And I just met Tadhg today so hopefully I’ll be able to learn more about the game from him.”

 

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