NEW Cork U20 football manager Ray Keane feels Dara Sheedy will be able to juggle senior and underage commitments.

Bantry Blues player Sheedy is available for selection for the Rebels’ Munster championship opener against Clare this Thursday in Quilty (7pm).

John Cleary’s Cork seniors are also looking to play Sheedy in their Munster opener against Limerick on Sunday, and Keane feels the West Cork youngster will be able for the extra games.

‘Dara is a young fella. I wouldn’t be worrying about him at all. Players want to play,’ Keane says.

‘You can be sure that the seniors have managed him well over the past few months. We had him back on Tuesday night but he was carrying a bit of a knock.

‘I wouldn’t be worried about Dara’s extra playing time whatsoever. It’s something people get caught up on but there is no need. We’ll all play long enough, grow old and turn grey where you won’t be able to play. Players like Dara want to play and that’s it.’

The Bantry player is the ace in the Cork U2O pack but there are other local stars to keep an eye on.

Carbery Rangers duo Timothy Cullinane and Dylan O’Neill, Barryroe stars Michael Collins and Luke Murphy, Seán Whelton (St James), Niall O’Shea (Urhan), Seán Connolly (Ilen Rovers), Jack Cullinane (Bandon), Frank Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa) and Luke Shorten (Tadhg MacCárthaigh) are also involved in the panel.

Clonakilty’s Dylan Harrington was in their plans too but is ruled out through injury.

Luke Murphy is one to watch with the Cork U20s.

‘We’ve been working away for the last few months in trying to get challenge games around the place. It’s a tricky age group in the sense that you’re dealing with 17 to 20-year-olds who can range from fourth year in school right up to second year in college. You can imagine what challenges that brings with maturity and things going on in their personal lives,’ Keane explained.

‘That is challenging in itself but we’d be happy enough. We’re carrying a few injuries but those things just happen. There is an awful lot being asked of them. We’re looking forward to the Clare game. Putting the heads down and see where it takes us.’

What could be key for Keane and his management team of Paul Kerrigan, Kevin O’Sullivan and Enda Kiernan is the experience that some of the panel had from last year’s provincial campaign.

Sheedy, O’Neill, O’Shea and Ballincollig’s Danny Miskella all started in their Munster final defeat to Kerry (2-15 to 1-10).

‘It is great to have that experience but it’s brand new from our point of view. We wouldn’t look at anyone in the sense that they were there last year and they had to be in this year. It’s all about what you do in front of us. We’ll judge them on their own merits. The same way people will judge us. It’s a fresh start from our perspective. Experience is vital when things go well. If they don’t go well, you’d be questioning things but let’s see.

‘Hopefully those lads will come through and perform to their potential on Thursday night. This is just the start of it. If you get over the first game, that would give you time to get a few bodies back. Ultimately, competitive games are what brings players on the quickest,’ Keane added.

Cork haven’t won a Munster championship at this grade since 2021 with Kerry dominating the province. Naturally, Kerry and Cork will be favourites to finish in the top two of the round-robin phase over Clare and Waterford and progress to the final.

‘These fellas are not carrying any history with them. It’s a fresh start. My view is that you go at it, if you can give it everything you can give you’ll see where it takes you. You can be worrying about what everybody else is doing but let’s get our own house in order and take it from there,’ the Cork manager explained.

‘Every team you meet in modern football, invariably there is very little between them. Clare and Waterford had the advantage of three competitive games in the last few weeks, which helps.’

After their away tie in Clare, Cork have two games in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to follow. They face Kerry on April 16th and Waterford on April 23rd but Keane is still wary of home advantage.

‘I look at this differently to anyone else. If you win, it’s a home advantage and it’s a positive. If you lose, nobody really questions these things. We’ll prepare the same way for home and away games. No matter what we do.

‘We always go through the same process. That’s the way we will do things up until the last game, whenever that may be. On the face of it, you might have a few people locally if you’re playing at home. That’s the only real difference,’ Keane said.