Donal O'Grady joins Kieran Kingston's Cork hurling set-up for 2021

FORMER Cork All-Ireland winning coach Donal O'Grady will work with Kieran Kingston and his selectors this season.

The St Finbarr's club man comes in to carry out a coaching and analysis role, current bainisteoir Kieran Kingston revealed to The Irish Examiner.

Speculation on Leeside recently had linked Donal Óg Cusack, minor manager last year, and former Waterford boss Derek McGrath with the Rebel set-up. O'Grady is a less radical but welcome addition, with a sharp insight into the modern game as shown in his excellent columns for the Examiner, and appearances on TG4 and RTE.

While it's 2004 since he steered Cork to an All-Ireland, he's been involved with the club game in the meantime, last season managing the Barrs' U16s. His last inter-county position was with Limerick back in 2013.

Former Munster rugby player Cathal Sheridan, a Sligo man, has also been added to the backroom as a sport and performance psychologist.
Cork selectors Ger Cunningham and Diarmuid O’Sullivan and Christy O'Connor, a columnist with The Echo and ex-Clare goalkeeper, are still involved.

Like all inter-county teams, Cork don't know when they'll be allowed to return to the training pitch or if the leagues will commence in late February as planned by the GAA. For now, the squad are working away on preseason programmes at home and meeting via Zoom.

There are a host of changes to the panel, with Anthony Nash, Stephen McDonnell, Aidan Walsh, Conor Lehane and Chris Joyce among those now gone from the squad.

Nash has since started the move from his club Kanturk to hurl with South Liberties in Limerick this year. Both his parents are Shannonsiders, with his cousin Barry Nash at corner-back for Limerick when they beat Waterford in the All-Ireland final.