LEHANE'S DREAM TICKET

Conor is desperate to make his final mark after missing out on '05 decider as a kid

- BY PAT NOLAN

CONOR LEHANE has a trying history with All-Ireland finals.

And that's not just as a player. Cork have won three All-Ireland hurling titles in his lifetime and he's one of the few currently on the squad that were old enough — he turns 33 later this month – to have attended their last win 20 years ago.

But while the ticket frenzy back then wasn't quite as intense as it is now, they were still difficult to come by.

"The parents were probably trying their best but they couldn't get them," he says. "I don't know what way the ticket allocation was back then but they couldn't get their hands on them.

"I went to the semi-final and quarter-final that year. I do remember them though.

"They were incredible days. They were absolutely unbelievable.

"I was probably about 11 or 12 when all that went down and you could see it.

"Everyone starts off as a supporter and if you're lucky enough to be able to play, then everyone ends up as a supporter again.

"So knowing what it was like before and the thrill that you got to see these players go out and represent the county and win is unbelievable and you'd love to be a part of something that would give that same thrill to younger people who'll be playing for Cork in a couple of years and they'll be the ones doing it for another generation.