Dara Sheedy to be assessed ahead of Cork U20s' championship opener after picking up a knock 

Cork U20 football manager Ray Keane hasn’t been surprised with how well Dara Sheedy has done at senior level so far this year.

The Bantry Blues forward made his debut for the Rebels back in January and it’s safe to say that he hasn’t looked back.

He has been a breath of fresh air for John Cleary’s side and played a crucial role in helping the team earn promotion from the Allianz Division 2 Football League.

Sheedy could feature for the Cork U20s next Thursday in the Dalata Hotel Group Munster Championship Phase 2 Round 1 clash against Clare away from home. He's due to be assessed after picking up a knock.

“To be fair, we haven’t seen him because he has been focused on the seniors and rightly so, that’s where he’s at in his stage of his development,” Keane says.

“Dara is a fine player, simple as that, and a fairly level-headed, grounded young fella. An extremely talented player and a player I’d have watched for many years. I remember seeing him at minor level and even then I thought he was an outstanding prospect.

“But talent is only a very, very small element of this game, especially as you get to inter-county level. You really, really have to put in the hard hours and the groundwork and knuckle down. And to be fair, you can see that Dara has done it and he’s only starting off on his journey.

“And without putting too much pressure on him, he has made a great start and has had a big effect on the senior set-up this year."

Sheedy has surprised a lot of people with how well he has played with the Cork senior footballers, but has Keane been surprised?

“To be honest, no. Dara is a natural footballer and footballers can fit in anywhere realistically, by and large, as long as they put in the work and put in the graft," the Éire Óg clubman said.

“He’s just not afraid, but what he’s doing at the moment, he’s just playing with freedom. You’d often come across players in the past where they have plenty of talent, but because of other factors, they just maybe don’t come through or whatever.

“But again, let’s not get carried away. He’s starting off on his journey on hopefully what will be a very, very long journey for him and for Cork.” 

Sheedy did pick up a knock during the Rebels’ loss to Meath last Sunday in the Allianz Division 2 Football League final at Croke Park. Keane is hoping Sheedy will be available for his side’s championship opener against Clare next Thursday.

“Dara came off after about 43 minutes last weekend with a knock. Like anything in today’s world, you just take it day by day.

“Again, like the other knocks we’re carrying, you’re hoping that you get one or two back and hoping that everyone else comes through and progresses away.

“We’ve given Dara a few days off. He’ll do a bit of rehab and we’ll assess him hopefully at the start of next week.” the Cork U20 football boss concluded.