A meeting between the Cork GAA Executive and Ronan McCarthy on Monday night saw the former decide not to extend McCarthy’s term into the final year of their two-year agreement.

It is understood that McCarthy was interested in staying on next year and also wanted an extension until 2024.

McCarthy was in the role since 2017 and was at the helm in the Rebel County for four seasons.

McCarthy had served as a selector and coach for a total of three years previous to taking the top job in the county.

The Douglas native won Division Three of the Allianz National Football League in 2019 with the side.

Cork went unbeaten on their way back to Division Two but McCarthy failed to take them back to Division One.

Four successive Munster final defeats culminated with a 4-22 to 1-9 thrashing at the hands of rivals Kerry in what was McCarthy’s last game in charge.

On top of this, the side only reached the business end of the All-Ireland championship once under the former inter-county player when they came last in their Super 8s group in 2019.

County Chairperson Marc Sheehan said “Ronan has been an outstanding servant to Cork GAA over many years, and I would like to thank him both personally and on behalf of Cork for all that he has done.

“We wish Ronan, his selectors and backroom team all the best in their future endeavours and thank all involved for an immeasurable contribution over a number of years.”

All in Cork GAA wish to thank Ronan sincerely for his decades of service to GAA at all levels in the county, as player, coach and manager.

A process will now be put in place for the appointment of a new manager.

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Speaking ahead of the game, from which a point should guarantee the Leesiders promotion next season, Cork manager Ronan McCarthy is relieved League action is returning.

“I am very thankful,” he admits, “as I had accepted at one point that the league wouldn’t be finished. To get the opportunity (to finish it) is welcome.”

Cork, who are five wins from five in this season’s Allianz Football League, may not see the benefit of a possible promotion next season McCarthy feels.

“Even if we get promotion, the league might be restructured (due to Covid-19). The emphasis next year might be on reducing the amount of travel teams will do.”

Will the Allianz League be completed?

Discussing whether he believes the League will even be finished this season, the Douglas clubman says:

“A lot of it is luck. It the close contacts that are your real issue. Am I confident (the League will be completed)? I wouldn’t say I’m confident. By following all the procedures that are there in relation to the prevention of Covid, it gives ourselves the best chance of not running into that kind of difficulty.”

‘The Big Game’

Despite this weekend’s game, and a trip away to Longford in Round 7 on Sunday, 25^th October, ‘the big game’ is on the minds of the Cork management team.

The ‘big game’ is of course the clash with traditional rivals Kerry in the Munster Championship on 8^th November.

“You’re in a difficult scenario at the moment”, the secondary school principal explains. “Normally you would say to players ‘you focus on the next game and that should be your only focus’. There’s no question here that we also need to have an eye further down the road to the match on the 8^th November.”

“So what I would say is our priority is that match in four weeks and that is our number one focus”, he says forcibly. “We have to try and make sure that while focusing on that we don’t take our eye off the ball for the other games. The Louth match guarantees us promotion if we get a point from it.”

“It’s a difficult one for a management team. There’s only one show in town and that’s the Kerry game on the 8^th of November. We still have a job to do (before that). To me the next two weeks is about getting the job done. We’ll look for the big performance then in the big match on the 8^th of November.”

Cork’s injuries

The Rebels will have a number of players missing from their squad in the coming weeks. Injuries mean Liam O’Donovan, Tomás Clancy, Kevin Crowley and Ciarán Sheehan are unavailable for varying periods of time.

“Liam O’Donovan is out long term”, McCarthy explains. “With Tomás Clancy from Fermoy (it) looks like Christmas before he’s back. He was stretchered off in a club championship game with Fermoy. He has a nasty calf tear and some Achilles damage. He had no chance once the extent of the injury was seen.”

“Kevin Crowley’s shoulder took a knock in a club challenge game. He’s had issues with his shoulder previously, so he’ll need a procedure on that. That will rule him out in the short term for us.”

“Ciarán Sheehan had a minor procedure on his knee last week. He’ll have no part to play in League or Championship for us this year. You get to a point where you’re only training bits and pieces and somewhere you have to make a call on it. We made the call, and you’re looking at 4-6 weeks but it ties up an ongoing issue.”

In spite of Cork’s injury list, the Rebels, who sit top of Division 3 on 10 points, should have enough firepower to overcome Louth this weekend. The ‘Wee County’ are bottom of the table having lost all their games so far.

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Rinneadh obráid ar ghlúin Sheehan, fear Éire Óg, atá naoi mbliana is fiche d’aois, le déanaí.

Chaith an tosaí sé bliana san Astráil agus shínigh sé conradh dhá bhliain leis an gclub AFL Carlton i Samhain 2013.

Bhí súil ag iar scoláire Choláiste Choilm, Baile an Chollaigh, go mbainfeadh sé gairm amach mar imreoir proifisiúnta AFL. Ar an drochuair, chuir cúpla gortú stop leis an bplean sin.

Tomás Clancy gortaithe freisin

Chuir cóitseálaí Chorcaí Ronan McCarthy in iúl inniu nach mbeidh Tomás Clancy ó Mhainistir Fhear Maí ag imirt d’fhoireann an chontae ach an oiread. Ag tús na míosa seo dhein sé damáiste dá theannán Aichill agus ghortaigh sé matán an cholpa.

Beidh Corcaigh agus An Lú ag tabhairt aghaidh ar a chéile an deireadh seachtaine seo agus an tSraith Náisiúnta Peile ag atosú.

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