Whoever takes over as Cork football boss, there are no quick fixes

RONAN McCarthy stepped away from the Cork football job having put in huge work across four seasons.

Inter-county management is time-consuming in the extreme and he had to balance his commitments as a school principal and family man with looking after the Rebels. Glamorous it ain't, for the most part. It's an attractive role when you're winning but in a county the size of Cork with both a strong local media and in the national spotlight, there's a lot of criticism when you don't get the expected results.

McCarthy gave his all, blooding some talented young guns in what has been an unsettled period for Cork at the top level. There's a decent platform there for his replacement, but no quick fixes either. 

Results have been mixed and only a handful of Cork footballers, Ian Maguire, Seán Powter and Brian Hurley the obvious picks, are established top-level performers. 

Cathail O'Mahony, Sean Meehan, Daniel O'Mahony and a few more are loaded with potential, but that's all it is for now. 

Unfortunately, McCarthy didn't get the silverware he targeted in his reign, missing out on the Munster title last year even after pulling off a memorable victory over Kerry in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Consistency was an issue for the team, who made the Super 8s in 2019 but were relegated to Division 3 in the league and also lost a home Munster final to Tipp when they were heavy favourites. One of the controversial periods of his stewardship was a team bonding session on Youghal beach during lockdown, which led to a ban for McCarthy and Cork losing home advantage in the league.

It was a serious mis-step from everyone involved in the Cork football squad, generating negative publicity and adding pressure on them to perform over the summer. They did well away to a good Limerick team in the Munster semi-final but the meltdown in Killarney, after such a decent first quarter, was jarring.

All indications are that the Douglas club man was hoping to complete a fifth year at the helm, but the Cork County Board instead decided to go in a different direction. At the remotely-held board meeting, chairperson Marc Sheehan reiterated his gratitude for the “immense contribution” of McCarthy.

When Cork managers move on without collecting the big prizes we often forget what they've given up for the Blood and Bandages.

The next step will be crucial for Cork football. There is genuine underage promise, with the minor and U20 All-Ireland double completed in 2019 and Munster championships in both grades secured this season. However, turning that potential into senior trophies won't be straightforward.

All-Ireland-winning minor manager Bobbie O'Dwyer and U20 bainisteoir Keith Ricken are viewed as the leading candidates, though Ricken, a GAA officer in CIT, is understood to favour staying at U20.

All-Ireland winning boss from 2010 Conor Counihan is on the appointments committee, and a share of the fans would love to see him return. 

He was on the sideline when Cork last annexed the Munster title, 10 years ago next season would you believe, but will hardly want to step back into the limelight.

At club level, John Fintan Daly has guided Knocknagree from the junior to senior ranks and Paul O'Donovan recently completed back-to-back victories with Nemo Rangers. Another Nemo club man, Ephie Fitzgerald, has vast experience with the Cork ladies footballers. Even if they don't take over as managers, they could offer something as selectors in a revamped set-up.

The alternative is to go outside the county and while that hasn't been Cork's style, the time is right for a fresh, bold, unfliching approach. 

If it is Urhan's Bobbie O’Dwyer, he worked as a senior selector with McCarthy and having been manager of the Rebel minors in 2019 and has in-depth knowledge of the newcomers. The team is clearly in a period of transition, having failed to build on the Kerry win in the 2020 championship and we can expect a shake-up of the starting 15 and squad.

Whoever takes over needs strong backing and a bit of patience.