WITH the county championship programme almost completed and the inter-county season about to emerge over the horizon, who will Cork’s new management team be looking at outside of those who figured last season?
John Cleary was interim manager for a period earlier this year and now assumes the mantle officially. Former Galway manager Kevin Walsh has been tipped to join the set-up, contributing in a coaching capacity and his experience will be invaluable.
Cork face a highly competitive Division 2 league campaign, beginning on January 29th when the Rebels face Colm O’Rourke’s Meath in Páirc Uí Chaoimh followed by Kildare away and then Dublin at home. Four points from the six available would be a great start but Cleary will need all his best players fit and hungry for what is a testing start to the year. Division 2 is hugely competitive next season.
What will the Cork panel look like in 2023? Which young players will emerge? Are there players who didn’t fit into systems in the past who could reinvent themselves this year and contribute to progressing Cork football? Here are some of the players who caught my eye over the 2022 football season.
Brian O’Driscoll (Tadgh MacCarthaigh) – Still only 28 years old, it seems like O’Driscoll has been around forever. Now in his footballing prime, he really put himself back on the Cork football map this year with his performances during Carbery’s Tadgh Crowley Cup victory and run to the premier senior football quarter-finals. He scored 1-27 from midfield and possesses the footballing and athletic ability ideally suited to the modern inter-county game.Having made his debut at senior back in 2014, don’t be surprised if you see him manning a position in the half-back line in 2023. He hasn’t been involved with Cork seniors since he was let go from the panel after the 2018 season – but he has shown enough to suggest he deserves another chance.
Luke Connolly (Nemo Rangers) – He wasn’t a stand-out minor, only appearing as a sub in 2010. He went on to figure heavily at U21 before being added to the Cork senior panel in 2015. Connolly fell out of favour during the McGrath Cup earlier this year and didn’t figure in the 2022 league and championship. Undoubtedly a gifted footballer, we saw the full range of his talents in Nemo Rangers’ run to county glory last month. His vision, range of footpassing, scoring ability and size are his strongest attributes. At 29, he has been criticised in the past for lack of work-rate and trying to be audacious too often and at the wrong time at the top level. There is an air of Shane Walsh to him when he is on song and Cork needs that.
Castlehaven's Cathal Maguire.
Cathal Maguire (Castlehaven) – Brother of 2022 Cork breakthrough star Rory, Cathal shifted his game up another couple of notches this season. Always a strong ball carrier, his use of possession and finishing ability had let him down in the past. In better shape now, he improved those aspects of his game dramatically in Castlehaven’s run to the semi-final this year. Against Nemo Rangers in a group game in Clonakilty he caused damage, driving at the heart of their defence, and against the Barrs in Páirc Uí Chaoimh he scored three great points in quick succession.
Keelan Scannell (Carbery Rangers) – An All-Ireland winner at U17 with Cork, Keelan figured at midfield for the Cork U20s this past season. More a natural defender than midfielder he was a key part of Carbery Rangers’ run to the quarter-finals under Declan Hayes’ stewardship. His standout performance was the man-marking job he did on Luke Connolly in the Páirc when he limited the championship's top scorer to a point. He is one to keep an eye on.
Conor Horgan (Nemo Rangers) – Second to Luke Connolly in his overall influence in Nemo’s run to victory in 2022. A supremely fit wing forward, his contributions on the scoreboard this year have taken him to the next level. 1-3 in the county final. 0-3 against Ballincollig in the semi-final. A thorn in Carbery Rangers’ side with his movement to create space for kickouts in the quarter-final. A hardworking wing forward that contributes on the scoreboard is invaluable.
Darren Murphy (Ballincollig) – He was the top scorer from play in this year’s premier senior championship, racking up 3-13 in five games. I got a first-hand look at this guy when he scored 2-3 for Ballincollig against Carbery in the quarter-finals. He was Ballincollig’s main scoring threat and when he was held against Nemo the wheels came off the cart for Podsie O’Mahony’s men. Murphy would be vying for a place in a hotly-contested full-forward line for Cork but could be worth a look in the pre-season.
Killian O’Hanlon (Kilshannig) – Kilshannig’s county championship victory at intermediate level has given this man the ideal platform to regain confidence and fitness following a lengthy absence through injury. I saw him playing in the group stage against Gabriel Rangers where he looked a pale shadow of that promising midfielder we saw down the Páirc on that infamous wet day victory over Kerry in 2020. However, O’Hanlon got better with games and was really influential in the final. If he can stay fit he will be a big bonus to John Cleary in the middle third.
Daniel O’Mahony (Knocknagree) – If you remember, he figured at both full back and centre back during Ronan McCarthy’s reign but disappeared off the radar last season after relocating to Dublin. He had had a few injuries but again like Killian O’Hanlon, Knocknagree’s run to the county senior A final put some invaluable football miles into his legs. A big, powerful, rangy defender, he has proven his value in the past and can again.
