Irishman Barry O’Connor had ticked off the Cliffs of Moher, Hook Lighthouse and Johnstown Castle in his home country – and the boy from county Wexford can now add to his list the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.
The Sydney Swans rookie joined fellow first-year draftees Dylan Stephens, Will Gould, Elijah Taylor, Chad Warner and Brady Rowles for the highly popular climb last week, strapping into a harness, scaling the arch and taking in the wondrous sights of the city.
It gave the 21-year-old a far-different view of the NSW capital than his Maroubra sharehouse or the club’s Moore Park headquarters – and he said the climb was surreal.
“The view from the top was amazing. I haven’t been to the harbour a lot so it was nice to see the whole city from a great view,” O’Connor said.
“The Opera House was the main attraction and we could see over to the north side of the city as well. I’m not sure what the various buildings and beaches were called but the view was just amazing.
“The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a bit bigger than anything you’ll find in Ireland; we don’t have a whole lot of tall structures at home. Sydney’s just a lot different to Ireland and it was great to be able to do the climb.
“There are loads of nice places to see in Ireland. It’s just always weather-dependant and the weather can ruin it sometimes.”
O’Connor signed with the Swans as an International Category B Rookie last year after being invited for a two-week trial in April.
The former Gaelic football star then joined Sydney for pre-season training in November and is working overtime on adapting to his new sport.
“I’m playing as a key defender at the moment so John Blakey and Jeremy Laidler are helping me out a lot,” O’Connor said.
“I was an attacker in Gaelic football at home and now I’m learning the art of defending. I’ve been on a whole range of players in match-simulation games – talls and smalls – but it’s not really about the guys I’m playing on; it’s about getting to know the basic positioning and learning the structures. Hopefully I can keep making progress over the coming weeks and months.”
With O’Connor and county Tipperary’s Colin O’Riordan both sporting the red and white, and county Kerry’s Tadhg Kennelly working at the club as an assistant coach, Ireland’s presence at the Swans is stronger than ever.
O’Riordan was drafted to the Swans in November 2015 and has since played 12 senior games, while Kennelly is taking control of Sydney’s midfield department alongside Jarrad McVeigh.
Kennelly played 197 AFL games for Sydney and was a member of the Swans’ 2005 premiership team after arriving the club as an 18-year-old in 1999.
O’Connor is aiming to keep things simple as he zeroes in on his own first season as a Swan.
“I just want to keep improving as much as I can,” O’Connor said.
“I’m trying to learn a game from scratch so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do on the other guys. But I’m going pretty well at the moment and I just want to keep improving my general skills of the game, keep improving my general defending and of course keep learning the art of being a key defender. Then it’s about staying fit and healthy and playing as many games as I can.”
