Kieran Kingston comes on board with Douglas in a new management team that includes former Kerry star Shane Brick

KIERAN KINGSTON will be part of the Douglas senior hurling management team for the new season which begins this week with the commencement of the Red Fm Cork County SHL.

The former Cork manager, who led the county to Munster championship success in 2017, will be a selector and advisor in the Southside club alongside new team manager Ferghal Hayes, who replaces Willie Coveney.

However, Kingston will not be coaching the team and that role will be filled by former Kerry inter-county attacker Shane Brick, who later hurled with Tracton.

Kingston’s appointment on the backroom team is sure to generate great enthusiasm in a club that contains the potential to be one of the leading contenders for the Cork County SHC.

The appointment of Hayes to the managerial position will be seen as a positive too. He’s a former player in the club and is also a former chairman.

Douglas will certainly be hoping for a more rewarding experience than they have had in the more recent past, being eliminated last season by St Finbarr’s and the previous season by Killeagh.

However, with players of the calibre of Shane Kingston, Eoin and Alan Cadogan, Brian Turnbull, Ross Howell and Stephen Moylan plus others, they should be in a position to challenge more strongly this time.

They have been handed a difficult championship opener in April, facing Bride Rovers, a traditionally always difficult side to overcome and who will be under the managerial reins of former Cork star Mark Landers.

Douglas have lost a few players since last season, Shane Bourke returning to Tipperary and Cian McCarthy transferring to Passage.

They will open their league campaign next Saturday with a game against Bishopstown and, whilst they will be without some of their marquee names because of UCC and Cork duties, they will be anxious to set the right example from the outset.

There are a number of attractive openers in the secondary competition with Sars against Erin’s Own among them.