Barry O’Connor made the challenging switch from Gaelic football to Australian rules football when the Sydney Swans signed him as an International Category B Rookie in 2019. O’Connor, who hails from county Wexford on Ireland’s east coast, has trained as a key defender ever since arriving at the Swans at the beginning of the 2020 pre-season, with his marking ability, strength and speed his key attributes. His move to the Swans has linked him with assistant coach Tadhg Kennelly, from county Kerry, and teammate Colin O’Riordan, from county Tipperary.