Con Roche

Con Roche (born 1946 in Cork, Ireland) is an Irish retired hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club St. Finbarr’s and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1975. Roche later served as manager of the Cork and Kerry senior inter-county teams.

Playing career

Club

Roche played his club hurling with the famous St. Finbarr's club on the south side of Cork city, a club where he enjoyed much success during a career which spanned two decades. He won his first county senior championship winners' medal in 1965 following 'the Barr's' 6-8 to 2-5 defeat of UCC.^[1] The club later represented Cork in the provincial club series and even reached the final. A 3-12 to 2-3 defeat of Waterford's Mount Sion gave Roche a coveted Munster club winners' medal.^[2]

After St. Finbarr's lost the 1967 county final to Glen Rovers, the club bounced back to reach the championship decider again the following year. A remarkable 5-9 to 1-19 defeat of divisional side Imokilly gave Roche a second county championship title.

After an absence of six years St. Finbarr’s were back at the top of the local hurling world again in 1974 following a defeat of Blackrock. It was Roche's third county championship title. Once again the 'Barr’s' were the Cork representatives in the provincial club championship and reached the final. Newmarket-on-Fergus were the opponents on that occasion; however, the game was a poor one. A 0-7 to 0-3 victory gave Roche his second Munster club title. The subsequent All-Ireland club final on St. Patrick’s weekend saw St. Finbarr’s take on the Fenians of Kilkenny. St. Finbarr’s ability to get goals at crucial times proved to be the difference in the 3-8 to 1-6 victory. It was Roche's sole All-Ireland club title.

Minor & under-21

Roche first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor team in 1964. That year he enjoyed his first success when he secured a Munster title following a 2-14 to 2-9 defeat of Tipperary.^[3] Cork later faced Laois in the All-Ireland final and an absolute rout took place. A 10-7 to 1-4 victory gave Roche a coveted All-Ireland minor winners' medal.^[4]

Two years later in 1966 Roche had become a key member of the Cork under-21 team. He secured a Munster title in that grade following a 5-12 to 2-6 drubbing of Limrerick.^[5] An All-Ireland final appearance soon followed with Wexford providing the opposition. A three-game saga followed which eventually saw Cork triumph by 9-9 to 5-9. It was a coveted All-Ireland under-21 title for Roche.

Senior

Roche made his senior championship debut in a Munster quarter-final clash with Waterford in 1966.^[6] He also played in the semi-final defeat of Limerick, however, he was later dropped from the panel for Cork's subsequent Munster and All-Ireland victories.

Roche was back on the team for the next few seasons, however, Cork enjoyed little success. In 1969 he enjoyed his first major success with the senior team when Cork defeated Wexford by 3-12 to 1-14 to take the National Hurling League title. Roche later lined out with Cork in the championship, however, he was dropped once again for Cork's Munster victory and All-Ireland final defeat.

In 1970 Cork were still regarded as one of the best teams in the country and expectations were high. At the start of the year Cork defeated New York with an aggregate score of 5-21 to 6-16 to take the National League title for a second consecutive year. Once again Cork qualified for the Munster final where Tipperary provided the opposition. It was the first eighty minute final in the history of the provincial championship and a close affair developed. At the final whistle Cork were the victors by 3-10 to 3-8 and Roche captured his first Munster winners' medal.^[7] Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final where Wexford were the opponents. That game broke all records with a huge 64-point score line. Cork's Eddie O'Brien scored a hat-trick of goals to help his team to a huge 6-21 to 5-10 victory. It was Roche's first All-Ireland winners' medal.

Defeat was Cork’s lot in 1971, however, the team bounced back in 1972. After securing a third National League title in four years, Roche later lined out in a second Munster final. Clare were the opponents and an absolute rout took place as Cork recorded a huge 6-18 to 2-8 victory over the ‘banner’ men. It was Roche's second Munster winners’ medal. Another comprehensive victory over London in the All-Ireland semi-final allowed Cork to advance to the championship decider where, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game itself is regarded as one of the classic games of the modern era. With time running out Cork were cruising to victory and led ‘the Cats’ by eight points. A Kilkenny fight-back, however, saw the team draw level with Cork and score a further seven points without reply to capture a 3-24 to 5-11 victory. It was a huge blow to a Cork team that seemed destined for victory. In spite of this defeat Roche was later presented with a coveted All-Star award.

After another disappointing season in 1973, Cork bounced back in 1974 with Roche adding a fourth National League medal to his collection. The team's championship campaign ultimately ended in defeat, however, Roche picked up a second All-Star award. It was 1975, however, before Cork contested their next provincial decider, the first one to last for seventy minutes. A 3-14 to 0-12 victory over Limerick gave Roche a fourth Munster title. Cork looked set for another All-Ireland appearance; however, Galway had other ideas in the semi-final. A 4-15 to 2-19 score line gave Galway their first-ever championship win over Cork. This was Roche's last appearance with Cork.

Inter-provincial

Roche also had the honour of being selected for duty with Munster in the inter-provincial series of games. He lined out with his province between 1971 and 1974, however, after defeat in the semi-final the first year, Roche's side went on to lose three Railway Cup finals in-a-row to Leinster.^[8]

References

Teams