John Cleary: Cork football underage results are concerning

Cork senior football boss John Cleary admits that he’s concerned about Cork's underage results.

The Rebels have struggled for a number of years at U20 and minor levels when it comes to the big ball.

The Castlehaven clubman met the media on Wednesday for the final time in 2025. When asked about the state of Cork football, Cleary was open and honest.

“As a Cork football person, of course you would be concerned,” he says.

“When you’re looking at the results there from last season and you’re at the matches, U20 and minor results didn’t go according to plan. 

I know there were good people with those teams, so, definitely it’s a concern.

“If that team coming up to senior level isn’t successful, you’re not getting in guys’ cock-a-hoop then. They’re coming in and they’ve been maybe badly beaten in their own provincial games and they’re coming in with low confidence.

“There’s a lot more work then because they’ve been beaten at U20 level and minor level and it’s hard to automatically step up and be winners at senior level.

FEAR

“The fear is that if you’re not successful at underage level, it makes it a way harder job then to try and get up and be competitive at senior level. It’s a concern as a Cork football person. What is the way to address it? 

You’ll get 25 different viewpoints, but definitely I would say it’s a concern and hopefully one that will be addressed. 

“If you bury your head in the sand, it’s not going to go away. There are an awful lot of genuine Cork football people out there and they are frustrated.” 

Cleary has been at the helm of the Cork senior footballers since 2022. He agreed to a fresh two-year term back in August.

The Rebels finished fifth in Division 2 of the league this year, lost to Kerry in the Munster semi-final and came second best to Dublin in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final stage.

“When the season finished, my term was up, so the ball was out of my court. Then the county board and the players asked me to stay on and I consulted with my family and my backroom team from last season and I decided to go again.

“A lot of it comes from the people around you as well. I felt they were enthusiastic and they really wanted to try and get to another step, so that made my mind up.

“I do think as a group when we are good, we are good, but maybe not consistent enough and the results from last season, Kerry, I suppose that’s just an outlier. Cork and Kerry can always be close anyway. 

"When it came to Dublin we felt maybe if we had a bit more belief coming down the stretch, we could have got over the line, but we didn’t.

“We do hope we can push on from here now with the experience we’ve got over the last couple of years.” 

Cork’s aim in 2026 will be promotion to Division 1, a place where they haven’t been since 2016. It won’t be easy though with Division 2 very competitive.

“The draw for the league for next year hasn’t been that kind to us as regards to travel and things like that.

“The league will definitely be something to look forward to and we are looking forward to it and it’ll be a test as well.

“One bad result doesn’t define your season or one good result doesn’t either. We are looking at it now block by block and then take it from there.

“We would love to be in Division 1 and that is the aim every year without a doubt, but Division 2 is tough. Every team in the division can beat each other. Our plan is to try and get up, but it’s not a given either.

GOOD ENOUGH 

“We’ve got to perform and we’ve got to prove that we’re good enough. People say you shouldn’t be in Division 2, but I would say, look, we’ve got to go out and do it and prove it and win the games to do that. If we play very well, we have a chance. Division 2 is nearly as competitive as Division 1.

"And I suppose then in the Munster Championship, it gives us an opportunity to get to a final without having to play Kerry before that. That’s a long way down the horizon yet. We would love to win Munster.”

Cork will be boosted by the return of St Finbarr's sharpshooter Steven Sherlock who returns after not being involved last season.

"Last year he made his decision and people were looking for ulterior motives or angles all the time. I was straight up when I said that when he came to me, we had a great chat. Then throughout the year, I met him at matches and things like that. 

"When we had the chat there a couple of months ago, there was no persuading or anything. 

He just wanted to come back and play for Cork and that was it. His form has been top-class and we're delighted to have him back."

No captain has yet been selected for the new season. The Cork boss also confirmed that Nemo Rangers' Bríain Murphy and Castlehaven’s Cathal Maguire are no longer part of the squad.