Cork U20 football boss Ray Keane relishing championship opener: 'We're happy with our preparation'

Cork U20 football manager Ray Keane is pleased with his side’s preparation ahead of their opening championship game tomorrow.

The Rebels make the long journey to Quilty to take on Clare at 7pm in the Dalata Hotel Group Munster Phase 2 Round 1 encounter.

Kerry and Waterford are also in the round-robin stage, with the top two qualifying for the provincial final.

Éire Óg clubman Keane is in his first season in charge of the Leesiders, beginning a two-year term at the helm.

“We’re all relatively new to it, especially the management team, we’re thinking we’re going well, we’ve worked hard, and we’ve played a few challenge games,” the Cork boss says.

“There’s a bit of adapting as well, from our point of view even. It takes you a while to change and adapt slightly to it.

“The weather hasn’t been great, but we’re living in Ireland and we don’t live in this country for the weather. We’re lucky in the sense that we did have the 4G down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to train on.

“The boys have responded very well. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We’re happy at the moment with our preparation. We’re carrying a few injuries, but hopefully some of them might clear up — maybe not this week, but in the coming weeks.” 

Keane and his management team — Paul Kerrigan, Kevin O’Sullivan and Enda Kiernan — have had the benefit of a full panel since the turn of the year. Previously, Simcox Cup action and the club U21 championships had caused disruption.

“There are bits and pieces that have helped,” the Kerry native says.

“There was no club U21 action, and I would have to say it was an advantage for me. But at the same time, I wasn’t in the scenario where I had the experience of it being on in February, or with the Simcox Cup going on.

“But logically, I would tell you it has to be an advantage. Now, if we were to go on and not perform, then people would say it was better the old way. And if we go on and perform, then they’ll say it was because of that. 

"So there’s for and against, but anybody thinking logically would say, yeah, it makes sense.” 

The Rebels will be favourites to overcome Clare, but the home side do have the advantage of three competitive games under their belt from Phase 1.

“Look, you have Thursday, then you have another game the week after, and another the week after that — so you have three games guaranteed,” Keane states.

“We’ll end up playing the first game and in the third game you’ll have a totally different team. Because you’re getting to know and learn about the lads every day. And even at that, there are lads who come in and out of form in a short space of time, because it’s a relatively young group.

“We’ve seen Clare play — a big, athletic team, full of running, physically strong and very dominant in the middle of the field. They have one or two nice forwards, and what I would say is there seems to be great togetherness within the group.

“They have an awful lot of work done and, from what I’m hearing on the ground, they have. Unfortunately, they had a tragedy a few weeks ago when their strength and conditioning coach Jack Boddy passed away. That can spur a team on as well.

“When I saw them last week, there was a fierce togetherness and a bond with them. Any team that goes up to West Clare — it’s never going to be easy.” 

The importance of hitting the ground running in a short, sharp championship is not lost on Keane.

“We’re going to go at it because you’re training all along, you’re going through the bad weather, you’re going up the country for challenge games and everything else. But what’s it all for? It’s all about playing championship, and we’ll be judged one way or the other on these three group games coming up.

“It is all about winning — that’s the reality of it. You can talk about development, you can talk about bringing people through, which is extremely important, but at the same time, how do you do that? You give them more chances. And how do you get more chances? You keep winning.” 

The Cork team to face Clare will be announced later today.