‘We didn’t show the best version of ourselves,’ says Cork U20 football boss ray O'Mahony after Munster final loss

RAY O’Mahony has no qualms about Cork’s defeat in the Munster U20 football final. The best team won, he admits. Kerry completed the three-in-a-row after a 1-15 to 0-12 triumph that did leave O’Mahony rueing the Rebels’ performance. This can’t be classed as one that Cork left behind them, but they didn’t help themselves.

‘We didn’t show the best version of ourselves in Tralee, knowing what this group of players is capable of,’ O’Mahony told The Southern Star.

‘We were beaten by a better team on the night but we will have the same number of scoring chances and turnovers were relatively similar too.

‘We were really happy with where we were with the group, and with the mood and tempo in training. The lads knew the game-plan, we didn’t fear going to Tralee, but there were a few mistakes on the day, maybe a small system malfunction in certain areas of the pitch.’ 

The home side led 0-9 to 0-5 at half time, and O’Mahony pinpoints missed Cork goal chances late in the opening half as critical moments. A four-point deficit could have been one, but as it turned out Tomas Kennedy’s goal for Kerry two minutes into the second half left the Rebels reeling and playing a game of catch-up they never looked like winning.

No surprise it was Newmarket’s Hugh O’Connor who topped the scoring charts for Cork again – he scored 0-3 (1f) in the final to bring his total haul to 2-16 (8f, 2m). Bantry Blues Dara Sheedy, a Leaving Cert student at Coláiste Pobail Bheanntrái, kicked 0-2, and finished the campaign with 1-6. Seven players chipped in with one point apiece. 

‘Kerry punished our mistakes more than we did theirs,’ O’Mahony says, as Cork’s quest to win a first Munster U20 football title since 2021 came up short. The Rebels played four games – a 0-14 to 0-7 win against Tipperary away, a home loss to Kerry (1-12 to 0-11), a 5-18 to 0-13 rout of Clare, and then the Munster final defeat to the Kingdom.  

‘From the previous structure of the championship, which was a straight knock-out, having two round-robins, phase one and phase two, are definitely beneficial to everyone,’ Cork boss O’Mahony says.

‘You have the so-called weaker counties as such, and Tipperary and Clare played six games. We had three competitive games – Tipperary the first day and then Kerry twice, whereas we were well in control against Clare, so that was four games for us in total.’

Cork used 28 players across the four matches, and 15 of the 36-strong panel are overage for next year so there’s a base to work on for 2025. Bantry Blues’ duo of Mark Óg O’Sullivan (who played the third most championship minutes for Cork) and Dara Sheedy are both eligible again next season. So too is Olan Corcoran (St Mary’s) who started three of the four Munster games, and Micheál Maguire (Castlehaven) who came on in the final, as well as Timmy Cullinane (Carbery Rangers), Olan O’Donovan (Barryroe) and Darragh Gough (Clonakilty). Ballinascarthy defender Dan Twomey, who started all four games and played the second most minutes, will be overage for 2025.

‘We have 15 on the age out of 36, and we had six U18s in and the rest were U19s,’ O'Mahony says.

‘I would be very surprised if we don’t see four or five of that group with the Cork seniors in the next couple of years.’

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Check out who played the most minutes for Cork in their four 2024 Munster U20 FC games: Colin Molloy (Nemo Rangers) 240 minutes; Dan Twomey (Ballinascarthy) 228; Mark Óg O’Sullivan (Bantry Blues) 226; Hugh O’Connor (Newmarket) 219; David Buckley (Douglas) 210; Darragh O’Brien (Glanworth) 203; Dara Sheedy (Bantry Blues) 198; Sam Copps (Mallow) 189; Olan Corcoran (St Mary’s) 180; Michael O’Connell (St Michael’s) 180; Gearoid Daly (Mallow) 180; Ed Myers (Naomh Abán) 177; Jack O’Neill (Castlehaven) 173; Rory O’Shaughnessy (St Michael’s) 168; Michael McSweeney (Knocknagree) 151; Shane O’Connell (Kilshannig) 122; Bryan Hayes (Nemo Rangers) 92; Ross Corkery (Nemo Rangers) 92; Aaron Mannix (Dohenys) 60; Luke O’Herlihy (St Michael’s) 57; Gearoid Kearney (Kinsale) 43; Aaron O’Sullivan (Aghabullogue) 32; Trevor Kiely (Mallow) 30; Fionnan Leahy (St Michael’s) 15; Niall Kelly (Newcestown) 14; Darragh Clifford (Éire Óg) 7; Micheál Maguire (Castlehaven) 5; Rory Kavanagh (St Michael’s) 1.