Cork U20 footballer Odhran Foley: 'We built something real this year despite final heartbreak'

Cork U20 footballer Odhran Foley has had time now to step back from the inter-county season, to let the disappointment of the Munster final fade, and to look at the bigger picture.

And when he does, what stands out isn’t the narrow loss to Kerry or the fine margins that separated the sides in Tralee. What stays with him is the sense of a group that found something — a season built on enjoyment, freedom, and genuine connection.

“We all said it was a very positive atmosphere,” he reflects. 

“Even being in and around the camp, trainings, the weeks leading up to matches… it was just enjoyable, which to be honest was something I hadn’t actually experienced playing with Cork previously."

That enjoyment wasn’t accidental. It came from the environment created by Ray Keane and his management team — Paul Kerrigan, Kevin O’Sullivan and Enda Kiernan — who stripped things back and trusted the players to express themselves.

“It was more of an enjoyment focused thing,” Foley says. 

“I think it led to us being more confident in ourselves and working as a team better. You’d look forward to a session in the evening. You’d go down to MTU and you’d be excited to go down and just enjoy playing your football.

“Ray Keane told us in December that we wouldn't see a tactics board till maybe a week before championship, and he was right. I don’t even remember seeing one until a week before Clare. It gets over complicated otherwise. It was very much a laid-back approach — you know what you have to do, go out there and have a go off it.

“The sessions just flowed so smoothly. Paul Kerrigan would do one drill, and next thing Kevin O’Sullivan is doing the next one. You wouldn’t even realise the changeover. 

"It was well planned and organised — you could tell that. And there was always that bit of a laugh between the coaches and the players. That’s important. It kept everything relaxed.” 

The high point of the campaign came at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, where Cork edged Kerry by a point in the Munster group stage — a result that gave the county a lift and gave the group belief.

“We were delighted, but it was a case of, we’ve won nothing,” Foley said.

“It put us in a good spot for the Munster final, but our goal was to win a Munster final. Beating them once and losing to them again… that wasn’t what we wanted.

“It was a pure team effort to beat Kerry in Cork. They’re the performances you’ll remember. But for us, the Munster final was just disappointment. We really thought we could have got a Munster off them. We felt the game was there for us. They went on to win the All-Ireland."

Injuries were a factor, but Foley refuses to lean on them.

“Honestly, until you look back, you wouldn’t even think we had that many injuries,” he states.

“Everyone slotted in seamlessly. No excuses. Whoever was on the pitch, we believed we could beat Kerry. 

“You don’t really understand it at the time, but when you reflect, you realise you picked up a few different things and learned a few more. It didn’t end the way we wanted, but you have to look back positively. I developed as a player.

“The Bishopstown manager Brian Cuthbert told me in pre-season that if you’re missing club, you better come back as a better player. That stuck with me. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t win something — it’s about becoming a better player and hopefully going on to play senior.” 

One of the biggest boosts to the group came from Dara Sheedy, whose rise to the Cork senior team caught the county — and maybe even himself — by surprise.

“Dara is a savage player,” Foley says. 

“But it was the way he came in — he gave such a boost to the whole group. Even small things, like walk throughs on kick-outs, he’d make a few points and it would just make sense.

“He shows you that no matter how young you are, you can still break onto a senior team and have the impact he’s having. When we saw him at minor, you kind of knew he was going to go places. You see him kick a ball once and you knew."

Cork didn’t get their Munster title. But the Rebels got something that might matter more in the long run, a group that enjoyed their football and improved. 

“You have to look back in a positive light. We didn’t win anything, but we got better and that’s what it’s all about.”