Cork Boss Ben O’Connor Calls Out Time Wasting From Free-Takers

Ben O’Connor has once again highlighted his frustration with the time being taken over frees, following Cork’s Division 1A final defeat to Limerick.

The issue has been a recurring talking point throughout the league campaign, particularly with increased scrutiny on free-takers and the impact stoppages are having on the flow of games.

Ben O’Connor, who previously raised the matter after Cork’s clash with Tipperary in February, returned to the topic once again after the final.

I suppose it was a bit scrappy. There was a lot of frees given there.

We didn’t get too many of them, but there was a lot of frees given. I suppose it slowed the game down for fellas.

I’m not on about the Limerick free-taker, but free-takers in general these days. There’s two minutes of a free now from the time the whistle is blown to the time the ball is hit.

Seven or eight frees, that’s 14 or 15 minutes wasted hitting frees.

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The debate around free-taking has been prevalent this year, with Tipperary’s Darragh McCarthy, the 2025 Young Player of the Year, drawing attention during their meeting with Cork in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, McCarthy was booed upon his introduction off the bench and when lining up his frees.

For Ben O’Connor, the concern is less about individuals and more about the broader impact on the game.

When you’re playing with the breeze, it is frustrating that you can’t get a flow and can’t get a rhythm going.

That’s for another day, another discussion.

Despite that frustration, Ben O’Connor struck a largely positive note on Cork’s league campaign overall, suggesting they achieved most of what they set out to do, aside from lifting the trophy.

With championship now on the horizon, the Cork manager’s comments add to a growing conversation around how the game is being managed, and whether further tweaks may be needed.

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