Noel Furlong hails impact of new Cork U20 selectors

Cork U20 hurling manager Noel Furlong has been highly encouraged by how well the two new additions to the management team for 2026 have settled into their roles.

Furlong's Carrigtwohill clubmate Niall McCarthy - the pair helped their native club to win the 2011 county SHC - was recently announced as having joined the set-up, while Patrick Horgan, who brought an 18-year inter-county career to an end last autumn, had been appointed as a selector not long after that.

McCarthy had also been involved in the Cork minor management in 2021 when Furlong led the county to a first All-Ireland in that grade in two decades and Furlong is delighted to have his expertise again.

“We were in primary school together, so we know each other extremely well,” he says.

“I know exactly what he was going to bring to the table – he was building a house last year, so that's why he wasn't available to come in, he would have been in otherwise.

“Patrick, obviously, is freshly retired, and he's in the coaching team now with Dónal Óg [Cusack] and Niall and Tadhg Óg Murphy.

“He's offering a huge amount of value, in particular to the forwards – movement, shape, structure, finishing, everything you'd expect.

“It's outstanding for our group to have somebody that fresh from inter-county to come in and to be able to impart his knowledge into those.

“It's been a massive positive for our group and I know the players have been very much so enjoying it as well, so it's all positive.”

Furlong's side take on Wexford in a challenge match at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow evening (5.30pm), preceding the Allianz HL clash between Cork and Tipperary. With a year under the belt - in 2025, Cork were unlucky to lose to Clare in a Munster semi-final, Furlong feels that the season season carries less upheaval.

“Definitely,” he says, “we know the players a lot better as well.

“Last year, when we came in, we had never worked with that group under-age before, whereas anyone who would be involved with a Cork minor team would have probably worked with them up along the line.

“We had a lot of sorting out to do and getting to know players last year, that we don’t have to do this year.

“We know so many of them from last year and we’d have been following games, be it school, club or whatever else, very closely.

“You learn from last year and what were the big challenges or the big periods where players are being pulled and dragged – and they are being pulled and dragged, but at the same time, we've still been able to get a good block of training and a lot of matches played.

“Our preparation, I would say, is very good, so it's positive."

The U20s played but UCC and MTU Cork during their 'bye weeks' in the Fitzgibbon Cup, while Saturday's clash is another step towards a championship campaign that begins against All-Ireland champions Tipperary on March 25.

Initially, Kilkenny had been due to visit but had to pull out, with Wexford lined up instead. However, Furlong doesn't necessarily feel there are issues in arranging challenge matches.

“It's a mix of everything, really,” he says.

“Obviously you don't want to be playing too many of the Munster teams because you'll be coming up against them in the championship, so you're having to go to Leinster teams and probably one home game, one away is the most you'd get.

“We had played Kilkenny before Christmas and we are going to play them again Cork go up to Kilkenny in the national hurling league.

“They pulled out of this game because I think they have a lot of players involved with different teams, so that was the main reason for that but Wexford are a good opposition so we're looking forward to this game as well.”