THERE is a finality to Thomas Clancy’s decision to retire from Cork football, but he’s quite comfortable with that.
At 32, he’s shutting the door on his inter-county career – there won’t be a comeback story so by stepping away from the panel, it ends his long-held hope of winning ‘something substantial’ with Cork.
The lack of success does rankle the Clonakilty man, but Clancy feels this is the right time to go.
Life at home is about to get busier as his wife Nicole is expecting their second child early in the new year, so little Leo will have more company – and home is where Clancy’s priority lies right now.
‘I was close to going back, but when I stopped and thought about it, we have another baby coming in February so we’ll have two under two at home and it will be fairly hectic,’ Clancy says.
‘If you can’t commit to inter-county 100 percent, which I don’t think I could have, the best decision for my family and for me was to call it a day.’
Clancy knows the implications of this decision. While he spent a couple of seasons off the Cork panel in 2020 and 2021, the Clon defender felt there was always the possibility he could get the call again. He did after impressing in Clonakilty’s run to the 2021 Premier SFC final. This time, it’s different.
‘I know this is it. It’s the closing of a chapter and that made it very, very hard,’ he says. It’s not all about the football either, he has made great friends through Cork football.
‘When you look back on all the years you’ve been involved with and the friendships that you’ve made, it's sad to close the chapter but this is the right time for me to move on.
‘I have experienced both sides of it, from being involved in the panel, then not being in and then back on it again. When you are involved in an inter-county team, over 30 fellas at every session, everyone training to the highest standard, battling for positions, and everyone has the goal to try and win something with Cork, it gives you a bit of a purpose. That’s something that I will miss, definitely.
‘As soon as I stepped away my chances of winning a senior Munster medal were gone; that made it hard too. Knowing I gave so many years to Cork and never won a Munster is a hard thing to look back on, but that’s how it worked out for me.’
Thomas Clancy is looking forward to giving Clonakilty his full attention in 2025.
The contrast between Clancy’s Cork minor and U21 days compared to his senior career couldn’t be greater. He knows this. He was part of the Cork minor team that won the Munster MFC title in 2010 and lost the All-Ireland final, and then he won three Munster U21 titles in a row (2011 to 2013). In 2013 Clancy also made his senior championship debut, but that underage success never translated to senior level.
‘For me, it was always about trying to play at the highest level and compete against the best players in the country. It was trying to see if I had the capability to do that,’ he explains.
‘When I was growing up, I wanted to be a Cork footballer. When I was around 15 or 16, getting on the Cork minors was a target I gave myself. It was something I was lucky enough to do. In 2010 we had an unbelievable year – we won a Munster and we got to the All-Ireland final. It’s one of the highlights of my Cork career. We had great success at U21 too; my first four years of inter-county football, one at minor and three at U21, we won Munster every year.
‘When you had success underage you think it will continue at senior level, and I had watched a Cork team between 2007 to 2010 that were in All-Ireland finals most years. You are chasing that every year: trying to win Munsters, trying to win All-Irelands. It's something I will reflect on, but it made it harder to step away knowing that I haven't won something substantial at senior level.’
He knows the opportunity was there to go again with Cork in 2025. There were chats with Cork boss John Cleary. With Kevin Flahive (going to Australia) and Luke Fahy (injured), Clancy would have moved up the pecking order, but Clancy is adamant he has made the right call. He does wish that he bowed out on a higher note – his last Cork appearance was as a first-half sub in the deflating All-Ireland defeat to Louth (1-9 to 1-8) that ended the Rebels’ season. The campaign summed up the inconsistency of Cork football – they beat Ulster champs Donegal at home only to bow meekly out of the championship a few weeks later.
‘A big thing is consistency and putting big performances back-to-back,’ he agrees.
‘We had an unbelievable win against Donegal and there was great momentum, and the defeat to Louth was a hard one to take. That was a game we should have won, I watched it back recently and still feel like that.
‘The potential is there in Cork football, absolutely. A big target next season will be getting back to Division 1 and they are well capable of that. Every player in that group will feel that they can win a Munster championship too, and that’s a big one because waiting since 2012 for a Munster championship is too long for Cork football.
‘The new rules coming in will add an extra factor – that could throw up a few surprises, who knows how it will work out.’
Clancy’s focus in the new year will be on home and the Clonakilty footballers who will feel the benefit of having their big-name defender for the full season. The feeling is mutual: he feels this group can achieve something.
‘I was very disappointed when we lost to Nemo Rangers on penalties this year. We knew it would be a challenge but we felt we could get through it, and there was a chance to get to a final after that. We were hoping to get a bit further but I’m definitely looking forward to the year with Clonakilty football,’ he says.
‘We won Division 2 of the league last season so we’re up in Division 1 now and we will target having a good league, and build on that for the championship. We feel we have a strong group of players who could do something.’
One chapter has closed, but Clancy’s excited about what 2025 will bring, on the home front and at club level. The friendships and memories made with Cork will endure, too, and they’ll soften the hurt of not reaching the heights the Rebels had targeted.
