Pat O'Connell's class as a hurler stood out in 2007 as far as the Nicky Rackard Cup judges were concerned. The irony of Waterford's achievement in reaching this year's All-Ireland SHC final isn't lost on Monaghan's 2007 Nicky Rackard award winner Pat O'Connell. Fifteen years ago, the Kerry native figured on the Kingdom senior hurling team that sensationally dumped the Decies out of the 1993 Munster SHC. "Fair play to Waterford because they picked themselves up and really turned things around from 1995 onwards with an All-Ireland Under 21 title win helping a lot," Pat declares. So is it really possible for the likes of the Oriel County to ignite a similar ascent up the rankings? "Unfortunately Monaghan hasn't got the same volume of talented players at underage level that Waterford would have been able to draw upon then and now. "You have to face the facts and the county's strength at underage level just isn't what you'd like. There was no county minor team in 2007, for instance, and that's a yardstick. "Realistically, Monaghan is still a bit away from making it to Christy Ring standard and the fact that there's only a handful of clubs in the county means there's not a great pick there." And yet Pat is at pains to point out the positives regarding the small ball game in his adopted county. A league title win last spring was a landmark achievement of course. "We won the national league division four title and got within 60 seconds of getting to the Nicky Rackard Cup final which shows the kind of talent there is in the current panel. "It just goes to show what can be achieved once things are organised and the proper structures are put in place for hurling as with the case of football. "Back at home, my club Lixnaw were managed by Eamon Cregan and Kilmoyley had Anthony Daly as manager which shows the kind of investment made in those two cases. " And what about tradition? How key is tradition in generating the sort of success that the once rock-bottom Desies have achieved in recent years? "Of course, it makes a huge difference, especially if you're talking about the game going on in a county which is predominately a football county, like Kerry for example. "You want young players to have senior players they can look up to and if those senior players have been successful, then all the better. "Over the years Kerry has suffered because of a lack of a tradition, countywide, with a lot of talented players putting more emphasis on playing with their club than the county. "There, like Monaghan, you don't have too many dual players. In Kerry, it's really either hurling or football, one or the other," the Monaghan Harps stalwart adds. Grooming young hurlers is key, Pat maintains, to the propulsion of Monaghan up the hurling rankings and he says the establishment of county development squads is a positive move. "The county development squads are the way forward in my view," says the 36-year old adopted Monaghan man. "It has been a fantastic initiative." "I noticed that a development squad of U15 players from the county went up a few months ago to Croke Park to take part in a mini-tournament organised by the Ulster Council. "Hurlers at any level would give their eye-tooth to get a run out at Croke Park and for those 30-odd young fellas, it must have been a great experience. "You'd like to think that some of those players would aspire to go back there as senior players in the years ahead. That would be the hope at least." For now, there is a sufficient feel-good factor in Monaghan hurling circles to bolster the optimism abroad that the county's emerging talent will have the ambition to match. Morale in the county was boosted in 2008 by the annexation of the NHL Division Four title and the extended Nicky Rackard Cup campaign. Granted the '08 season did come on the back of a hugely disappointing previous year which made for a low base in comparison. "We didn't win a single game in the league in 2007," Pat points out. "And we only won one game in the Nicky Rackard Cup so there was really only one way we could have gone. "The appointment of a new management team, with Frank (Brady) and Kevin (Maloney) coming on board give us a lift and there was a new level of enthusiasm in the camp in 2008. "We set out to win the division four league title; we saw that as a realistic target and anything else that came our way after that would be a bonus." And his take on the league triumph? "Great, very sweet. We had beaten South Down earlier in the campaign but they obviously felt aggrieved by the result and were determined to turn things around in the final. "Winning a game with so many scores (1-27 to 5-14 after extra-time) was very exciting. Winning a national title at any time is very exciting." Meanwhile Pat says the decision to put in place a novel Ulster SHC in 2008 was one of the better decisions made by the powers-that-be in recent times. After defeating Cavan and Donegal, O'Connell and co. found themselves out of luck when taking on raging-hot favourites Derry thereafter in the provincial championship. "We played Derry with one eye on the Rackard Cup and with a couple of injuries to deal with but we weren't disgraced or anything like that. "They got a couple of goals early on in the game and that killed it off as a contest really. It's a pity we had those few injuries but it was good to be on the same stage as Derry. "Having a provincial championship provides a great incentive for every team and you could see what it did for Armagh who came within a whisker of beating Derry." Whatever about the future of the new-look Ulster SHC, Pat is somewhat fearful that the still-embryonic Nicky Rackard Cup will turn into a coldhouse for the so-called weaker counties. He is concerned that moves afoot to restructure the competition will mean it more difficult for the Monaghans of this world to get their day in the sun. "If you look at all the hurling competitions that took place in 2008, the Nicky Rackard Cup was probably the most evenly-contested, most competitive of the lot. "My view would be that if it ain't broken then why the need to fix it. I think it's introduction was a good idea because it gave counties a chance to compete at their own level. But whoever among the powers-that-be came up with the new design of the competition weren't thinking of the weaker counties. "I think the competition should be left the way it was. Pulling in the likes of Armagh and Meath won't help our cause. The competition should be left to division two and three teams." A former Garda team-mate of Kilkenny ace Eddie Brennan, Pat clearly knows his hurling. He went toe-to-toe with the great Brian Whelehan at Birr (while stationed there) in training. He has played with and against some of the best hurlers around over the course of his career and narrowly missed out on an All-Ireland JHC medal, losing to Meath in the final. In 2002 he made the Railway Cup hurling team, notching a late goal in the final only for Leinster's Henry Shefflin to snatch victory for the easterners in the dying seconds. Pat has the distinction of having played in all four divisions of the NHL and recalls in 1996 being on the Kerry team that beat then defending Liam McCarthy holders Clare in the league. But his main focus nowadays is Monaghan hurling and coming to a decision on what shape his career will take in the coming year. Plaqued with injuries, such as achillees tendon and quad trouble, over the course of 2008, he feels his body is sending out a message, clear and loud, that enough is enough. "I've thought long and hard about it and have decided to quit my involvement with the Monaghan senior team," he confides. "I haven't yet decided whether or not to continue playing hurling at club level. We'll see how things go in the New Year." Watch this space! Tweet

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