 Following the end of the 1988 season in which Manly were bundled out in the semi-finals, O'Connor and Dale Shearer were the only Manly players chosen for Australia's World Cup Final team to play New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland.O'Connor (playing on the wing) kicked 4/7 goals as Australia won 25-12 to win their 5th Rugby League World Cup.During the 1989 NSWRL season, O'Connor was selected for Game 3 of the 1989 State of Origin series, which saw Qld record its second straight 3-0 series win, and 8th straight game win in a row, with a 36–16 win at Lang Park.