Eugene O’ Neill
Minor Appearances: 7
U21 Appearances: 10
Senior Appearances: 17
Total Scored: 17-108
Honours: Munster Minor Hurling (1996), All-Ireland Minor Hurling (1996), Eircell Young Hurler of the Year (1997), Munster U21 Hurling (1999), National Hurling League (2001), Munster Senior Hurling (2001), All-Ireland Senior Hurling (2001).
Watch 2001 All-Ireland Hurling Final
By The Irish Independent (Thu 6 Sep 2001):
Tipperary put their faith in free-scoring hero O’Neill
EUGENE O’NEILL, the goal-scoring executioner from Cappawhite, has been handed the vacant slot in the Tipperary attack for their Guinness All-Ireland hurling championship final against an unchanged Galway side at Croke Park on Sunday.
The 24-year-old O’Neill comes into the slightly altered attack in place of the suspended Brian O’Meara, having made such a lasting impression when he was introduced at half-time during Tipperary’s semi-final replay victory over Wexford on August 18. That game was very much in the melting pot until O’Neill latched on to a breaking ball immediately on the resumption and in the flash of an eye dispatched it to the back of Damien Fitzhenry’s net with class, conviction and confidence.
Afterwards, O’Neill said how pleased he was to get the opportunity, after losing his place at the start of the championship, to show the selectors he still possessed the scoring touch which made him such an exciting prospect when he came directly from the 1996 All-Ireland winning minor team into the senior side. And while the Galway selectors gave their semi-final line-out a vote of confidence when their side was eventually announced yesterday O’Neill was thrilled to have received his first championship start since Tipperary’s 1-14 to 0-15 defeat at the hands of the Tribesmen in an All-Ireland quarter-final last summer, when he scored three points.
O’Neill has been named at right corner-forward, with Eoin Kelly moving out to the left wing, the position O’Meara had made his own throughout the summer.This keeps the tinkering by the Tipp selectors to a minimum with O’Neill much more at home in the corner, while Kelly, despite having played most of his hurling at top of the right, is well capable of adapting to his new role with the skill, pace and strength he possesses. He has already scored 0-23 in their four games this season. It was widely expected Lar Corbett might be moved to the wing, with O’Neill being slotted into the left-corner, but clearly the selectors felt the young Thurles Sarsfields young man would be more effective closer to the danger area, where he has started all four games.
A loss of form during the early stages of the league cost O’Neill, but his record stands up, and after those two brilliantly taken goals against Wexford and the way he has been showing up in training, there was a suggestion he would have been in the line-up even if O’Meara was available. After all, he scored seven points in the defeat of Clare in the championship last year, following up with 1-5 in the Munster final. Prior to that, he had scored 3-4 from his four championship games and many Tipperary followers reckon he is the ace in the pack.
O’Neill is one of only four players in the Tipp side who have played in a previous All-Ireland final, as he was part of the ’97 side, along with goalkeeper Brendan Cummins, team captain Thomas Dunne, and full-forward Declan Ryan, who also played in the finals of ’88 and on the winning teams of ’89 and ’91.
By the Irish Independent (2002):
Having had the nerve to swindle 1-1 from Brian Lohan in the 1997 All-Ireland final at 19, Eugene O’Neill might wonder why a permament place in the Tipperary side remains so elusive writes Dermot Crowe. Today throws up another opportunity to end his lengthy sentence on the team’s periphery. If he ignites it may finally dispell his burgeoning reputation as an impact sub – a dubious accolade for any player. Countless observers who drool over O’Neill’s repertoire of skills and awareness levels equally bemoan the limitations of his unhurried and chilled-out nature. This has frustrated Nicky English’s best attempts to inject greater urgency into O’Neill’s approach to things. “He has an immense talent,” says Dinny Cahill, who managed him at minor level. “But I suppose he is a little lazy and gives that impression.”
The Cappawhite player ended Antrim’s lingering ambitions during the All-Ireland quarter-final two weeks ago when coming on as a late sub and banging in 1-1. English and his selectors were persuaded to give him another shot, their instincts rewarded in a recent challenge match against Blackrock where he embarked on a scoring spree. But unlike last year’s All-Ireland final when a 2-1 blast in the semi-final replay win over Wexford had him restored to the team, this latest promotion comes with the added bonus of a full-forward place.
“He’s a great poacher who works well off a diagonal ball coming across the field, like the one which Lar Corbett gave him for the point against Antrim,” says Cahill. “You need to give him the type of ball. He’s more suited to full-forward. When he was at corner-forward he tended to be in right beside the full-forward which suits a defence.”
Cahill says O’Neill selection demands a change in Tipperary’s attacking strategies. “They have a small man at full-forward now so they must play him a different ball.”O’Neill made his senior championship debut at full-forward against Down in the 1997 quarter-finals under Len Gaynor when he scored a goal but was replaced by Aidan Flanagan after 52 minutes. English arrived and O’Neill made no appearance against Kerry or in either of the matches against Clare during the ’99 championship, and also had to sit on the bench throughout the first round win over Waterford a year later. But he featured in their remaining three matches.
Last year saw him back on the bench for the opening joust with Clare though he came on after 43 minutes, and was again introduced against Limerick in the Munster final and in the two matches with Wexford. In the second of those he scored the two goals which sent Tipperary into the All-Irleand final. His second final was a disappointment, ending scoreless. Today, significantly, marks his first full-forward championship start since 1998.
“He’s got great hurling, anticipation and vision,” says Cahill. “But I would often like to get Eugene on to a different gear because he’s a gifted player. He’s an easy-going fella, I don’t think you’ll change him at this stage.
“Eugene with the right type of ball is lethal. I would love to see what he would be like if they persisted with him. I would say he has kinda lost interest at times, the fact that he is not getting regular starts. I think his selection on Sunday shows he is being taken more seriously.”
