All-Ireland winner Ger Manley set for Midleton job as Johnny Crowley returns to Sars

Two-time All-Ireland senior camogie championship-winning manager Ger Manley is set to take over as Midleton senior hurling manager for the 2027 season.

Having left his role as Cork senior camogie manager last month – a post which he had held for the past three seasons – Manley will take over from Padraig O’Shea, whose tenure as manager comes to an end after one season.

During Manley’s time in charge of the senior camogie team, Cork won two All-Ireland titles, in 2024 and 2026, but they lost out to Galway by a point in the 2025 final.

Cork also won a National League in 2025 – their first since 2013 – and a Munster championship with Manley at the helm. When Manley was a selector under Matthew Twomey, they also won an All-Ireland title, with a dominant victory over Waterford.

Manley’s backroom team with Midleton will be confirmed in due course.

The Midleton clubman will be the third manager of the club in as many seasons, following the conclusion of Micheál Keohane’s three-year spell in charge in 2025, and O’Shea’s one-year stint this year.

Manley, who takes over from his nephew O’Shea, won an All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship title with Cork in 1985 during his time at Inniscarra. He also won a Munster Senior HC title in 1992 and a National Hurling League title in 1992/93.

Manley scored 1-4 for the Midleton team that lost out in the 1994 SHC final against Carbery.

Midleton’s 2026 season under O’Shea ended at the semi-final stage, as they were beaten by eventual champions Glen Rovers. The Magpies had received the bye to the semi-final after three group stage wins, but were unable to reach another decider.

Earlier in the season, they managed a 100% record across the league phase but were defeated in the final by Sarsfields, who will retain manager Johnny Crowley for a fifth consecutive season.

Since returning to the Sars post in 2023 with the aid of Cloyne and Cork great Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Crowley has guided the club to two Cork PSHC titles in 2023 and 2025, four straight Cork Hurling League Division 1 titles from 2023-26, and of course, the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship title in 2024.

That year, Sars defeated Ballygunner by four points to win a first ever Munster title. They went on to edge Ulster kingpins Slaughtneil by a point in the All-Ireland semi-final, but fell short in the decider to Dublin champions Na Fianna.

In Crowley’s first spell in charge of the club, Sarsfields won the Cork SHC title in 2010, defeating Glen Rovers by two points to win their fourth ever title.