Gordon Deegan
Accumulated profits at the commercial firm owned by former Irish rugby player turned coach, Paul O’Connell reached a new high of €2.2 million in 2019.
New accounts show that the fortunes of O’Connell’s Nellcon Ltd continued to flourish after the Limerick man’s retirement from the professional game in 2016.
The company recorded a post tax profit of €60,698 in the eight months to the end of December 2019 and this followed post tax profits of €117,960 in the 12 months to the end of April 2019.
Pay to directors decreased to €136,774 made up of €74,052 in remuneration and pension contributions of €62,722.
During the same period the firm’s cash pile increased by €1.555 million to €1.64 million.
The Limerickman recently returned to the professional game when he was appointed forwards coach to the national rugby team.
The 41-year-old retired from the game in 2016 after sustaining a severe hamstring injury in the 2015 World Cup game against France.
O’Connell was a talisman for Munster and Ireland for over a decade and won his 100th cap against Wales in March 2015 before winning a further eight caps to bring his total to 108 caps.
Separate accounts lodged by a firm owned by O'Connell's former Munster and Ireland team-mate, Simon Zebo show that accumulated profits last year increased by €114,192 from €336,460 to €450,653.
The Cork man is currently playing his rugby for Paris team, Racing 92 and the accounts for Zebo’s Left Wing Productions for the 12 months to the end of March 2020 show that the company’s cash pile increased from €211,890 to €330,479.
