 On 12 September, he won a second All-Ireland medal as a non-playing substitute following a 0–17 to 0–09 defeat of Kilkenny in All-Ireland final against Kilkenny.O'Connell later opted out of the Cork senior hurling panel after informing the management team that he was unavailable for selection for the 2005 season.O'Connell was invited back to the Cork team by manager John Allen at the start of the 2006 season.