Bobbie O'Dwyer takes Cork U20 football hot seat

URHAN native Bobbie O’Dwyer is the new manager of the Cork U20 football team.

The Beara man has been handed a two-year term and takes over from Keith Ricken whose appointment as Cork senior football manager was ratified at last Tuesday night’s in-person county board meeting at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The vastly experienced O’Dwyer has an impressive managerial CV that includes masterminding Cork’s All-Ireland minor football triumph in 2019 that ended the county’s 19-year drought at that level.

O’Dwyer was Cork minor manager for three seasons (2018-20) before taking the role as a selector in Ronan McCarthy’s senior football management team earlier this year. O’Dwyer has also managed O’Donovan Rossa, Macroom and Killarney Legion.

The new Cork U20 football boss has assembled a strong management team that includes the legendary Billy Morgan who has come on board as a selector. O’Dwyer’s fellow Beara man, Ollie ‘Rue’ O’Sullivan from Garnish, is also a selector, as he was when O’Dwyer was Cork minor football manager. James Masters (Nemo Rangers) and Kieran Cronin (Killarney Legion) have also been named as selectors.

Meanwhile, Keith Ricken’s appointment as new Cork senior football manager was ratified on Tuesday night. There is a strong West Cork interest in this set-up, too, as Castlehaven clubman John Cleary has joined as coach. Cleary is also a selector with James McCarthy’s Haven team that is through to the semi-finals of the county premier senior football championship. Ricken’s selectors include Micheál Ó Cróinín (Naomh Abán), Ray Keane (MTU/St Finbarr’s), James Loughrey (St Brigid’s/Mallow), Barry Corkery (Éire Óg) and Des Cullinane (St Nick’s).

Keeping the West Cork flag flying on the county scene will be Dunmanway man Paudie Murray who, as expected, has been named the new Cork minor hurling manager. After a decade in charge of the Cork senior camogie team, which including winning four All-Ireland titles, Murray left that role last month. His brother, Kevin, will be the coach for the minor hurlers while Declan Fitzgerald (Buttevant), Fergal McCormack (Mallow) and one other will be selectors.

There have been changes, too, to Kieran Kingston’s Cork senior hurling management team. All-Ireland winning Cork minor hurling manager Noel Furlong (Carrigtwohill) and former All-Ireland senior hurling winner Pat Mulcahy (Newtownshandrum) have joined the set-up as selectors/coaches, and will work alongside current selector Diarmuid O’Sullivan. Donal O’Grady will remain in his role in coaching and analysis. A real coup is the addition of performance coach Gary Keegan, who is currently involved with Irish Rugby and previously worked with the Dublin footballers. Stephen Casey is the team’s strength and conditioning coach.

Elsewhere, Donal O’Mahony (Bishopstown) is the new Cork U20 hurling manager, succeeding Pat Ryan who stepped down recently. O’Mahony’s selectors are former Cork hurler Tom Kenny (Grenagh), Fergal Condon (Aghada), Brendan Coleman (Youghal) and Traolach Martin (Ballygarvan).

The Cork minor football management team, currently in year two, is as follows: manager, Michael O’Brien (Ballincollig); selectors, Daniel Cronin (St Mary’s), Gary Sheehan (Carrigtwohill), Martin O’Brien (Clonakilty) and Donncha O’Connor (Ballydesmond).