The Collins name is steeped in Ballinhassig hurling – now Patrick is writing his own chapter on the biggest stage of all
PATRICK Collins hails from a family of goalkeepers and high achievers – and the Cork number one is both.
As the Rebels’ shot-stopper (28) looks to finish his season in style when Cork face Tipperary in Sunday’s All-Ireland final at Croke Park, it’s worth noting the roots of goalkeeping in his DNA.
His dad, Pat, began the family’s association with the position by lining out between the posts for the Ballinhassig hurlers. That paved the way for Patrick and his younger brother Ger (26) to go between the sticks at club level, before both made their way onto the Cork panel – they were on the Rebels’ senior panel together as recently as 2023.
Patrick still plays in goal for his club and county, while Ger has shown his skills out the field as a forward, hitting 1-31 in the county premier intermediate hurling championship last year. To be fair, Patrick scored 1-4 – as a goalkeeper!
His other brothers, Michael and Matthew, played for Cork at various grades, while sister Catriona won an All-Ireland intermediate camogie title with the Rebels in 2018 as a corner forward.
Ballinhassig, it appears, is a hotbed for goalkeepers. Away from the Collins clan, Martin Coleman senior donned the Cork number one jersey between 1970 and 1980, winning three All-Ireland titles in 1970 and during the famous three-in-a-row between 1976 and 1978. Coleman’s son, Martin junior, was on the Cork panel from 2003 to 2012 as back-up to Donal Óg Cusack. There’s something in the water in Ballinhassig.
Patrick Collins lifts the trophy after the Rebels' dramatic Munster SHC final win.
‘Patrick excelled from underage, both outfield and in goal,’ said Ballinhassig legend Seán McCarthy, who won an All-Star in 1992 and an All-Ireland in 1990 as a wing-back.
‘There’s a proud tradition in Ballinhassig. I watched Martin Coleman when I was growing up. Maybe Patrick might have been watching me. There would be the incentive to drive on. His father Pat deputised for Martin Coleman senior in the 1980s – he was a great keeper. There’s a history in the club and in the family, and I think that drives him on.’
When Patrick Collins got his big break for Cork after Anthony Nash’s retirement in 2020, he had big shoes to fill. But he took on the challenge and has now become more of a leader in this Cork side.
‘The goalkeeper is becoming more of a pivotal role in the modern game. They are starting from a standing start. You have a direct puck-out without any competition. The goalkeeper is a major player in how the play develops,’ McCarthy explained.
‘Everyone has a trait, and Patrick has developed his own – his long-range puck-outs down on top of our three full-forwards are a phenomenal starting base for any team. With that, we are attacking straight away. He also has the ability to deliver an accurate shorter ball. He has many good tools in his toolbox.’
Most people would have Collins down for an All-Star given his performances this year. McCarthy agrees.
‘Currently, going on form, Patrick is up there as the number one goalkeeper – I’d be very disappointed if he didn’t win an All-Ireland or get an All-Star this year. He deserves it for the effort he has put in, his dedication, and his part in the success of the team,’ the Ballinhassig man said.
‘His ability to read the game. His sharpness. His professionalism. The way he trains. When club training was finished, we’d go up an hour later and Patrick and Ger would still be hurling, out on the road, like the old days. They would be standing 20 metres from each other and hitting the ball as hard as they could to see who was the best shot-stopper between them.
‘I feel he has developed his own style, and I think Pat Ryan has a lot to be thanked for that. For the first time, you’ve seen Patrick play his own style of goalkeeping, and he has come on leaps and bounds.
‘A big part of maturing, unfortunately, is losing an All-Ireland. There’s an old saying: “You have to lose one to win one.” That outing last July in the loss to Clare – it hurt all of us, it hurt the players, and it hurt Patrick, but they learned a huge amount from that defeat.’
When watching Cork’s amazing journey to the big house in Croke Park, the fans might only see Patrick Collins the player – but what trait stands out for the pride of Ballinhassig?
‘It’s the dedication. It’s not what you see on the field, it’s how he carries himself off the field,’ McCarthy said.
‘They live near me and Patrick would be out on the road with his siblings – mostly Ger. They would have been playing hurling on the road, which is something that would have been done back in the 1980s and ’90s, but when you see young fellas in the noughties doing it, it was great to see.
‘They never went anywhere without their hurley. They always had a hurley – whether they were going to a game as spectators or just up around the house. They live, they sleep, and they drink hurling.’
This is the story of a local hero rising to the top and carrying on a family and club tradition. He works locally as a Garda and will ensure law and order rules in the Cork defence on Sunday – and if he achieves that, the Rebels’ road to destiny will become easier to navigate.
