Cork footballers need to cast the net wide and be bolder with their team selections

Cork will have a new coach on board next season with Donegal native Gavin Gallaher, who enjoyed success with Castlehaven in recent years, replacing Kevin Murray. He'll work alongside Kevin Walsh and Jim O'Donoghue but it'll be a demanding season, with the Rebels in the top tier of the league for the first time since 2016.

Murray's departure was a surprise, given how highly rated he was within the group and after a strong campaign. Promotion to Division 1 was achieved and a major scalp was taken on the road in Donegal. There were disappointments but a sense some genuine progress was made as well, with Murray given a lot of credit for his tactical awareness.

As with every inter-county panel, there will be new faces in 2027 but there has been some concern about the number of players opting out voluntarily. Particularly, after losing the nous of Murray, who is also the St Finbarr's hurling coach.

Admittedly, being a squad member in football doesn't have the same cachet as being a hurler, but Cathail O'Mahony, Eoghan McSweeney and Darragh Cashman have moved on, while the likes of Neil Lordan and Seán Powter departed the year before. All-Star nominee Steven Sherlock took a season out and Hugh O'Connor, following on from Brian Hayes and Jack Cahalane, found the hurling call too hard to resist.

Tommy Walsh turned down overtures from Ben O'Connor and had his best year so far, earning an All-Star nomination, but then he got the starts Hayes, O'Connor and Cahalane didn't.

Are Cork too rigid with their team selections?

John Cleary and his selectors have leaned into stability in the league, which means the starting team isn't rotated by default. Naturally, fringe players can get frustrated by a lack of game time. 

As Cork football claws its way back up the ladder, results are key. Had they been more clinical, they'd have beaten Meath in the Division 2 league final last spring and Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

Fresh faces

They need a couple of bolters to shake up the squad. 

Defensively, Dan Peet from Clon, and Mark Hill and Colin Molloy from Nemo, are surely worth auditions. 

In attack, Mark Lenehan, who regularly shoots the lights out in tandem with the Hanlons for Buttevant, could follow the same route as Chris Óg Jones. The Uibh Laoire dynamo, who had a solid underage career with Cork, was promoted into the senior team are ripping it up for his club.

Grantas Bucinskas, who is only 23, has been the spearhead of the Kanturk attack to the tune of 4-25 as they reached the Senior A decider, having also enjoyed a superb hurling season in goal. Éanna Desmond clipped 0-20 from play in four matches for Carrigaline and, while he was involved previously, deserves a proper opportunity.

At Premier Intermediate level, Fermoy's Ben Twomey bagged 1-26, 1-21 from play, while Castletownbere's Fintan Fenner nailed 1-30. Both are in their early 20s.

Cork U20 captain Darragh Clifford will be integral to Éire Óg's cause against Kanturk. The rangy midfielder, who is also a nifty kick-passer, ticks a lot of boxes as an elite athlete and was fast-tracked in by Clearly last summer.

Ballincollig's Danny Miskella and Carbery Rangers' Dylan O'Neill are both U20 again in '27 but have shown flashes of real brilliance. 

Injury-free Sean Coakley (Douglas) and Ed Ó Mír from Naomh Abán are well worth a stint on the training panel. As are Nemo duo Ross Corkery and Bryan Hayes.