CORK BOSS JOHN Cleary has retained the services of Galway’s Kevin Walsh as coach for the 2025 season, while adding former Cork and St Finbarr’s footballer Jim O’Donoghue to his management team.
Cleary has confirmed that all members of this season’s management team will remain involved next season, with O’Donoghue an additional figure in a coach-selector role.
O’Donoghue, a former Cork player, was involved with St Finbarr’s for their Cork and Munster senior title winning runs during the 2021-22 campaign, in a coaching capacity.
Galway All-Ireland winning midfielder Walsh will remain involved for a third year on the bounce with the Rebels.
James Loughrey (Mallow), Micheál Ó Cróinín (Naomh Abán) and Barry Corkery (Éire Óg) will continue as selectors, with Olympic medallist Rob Heffernan working as the team’s performance coach.
Blackrock’s Paul O’Sullivan has joined as team nutritionist, after previously working with successful Cork U20 hurling sides.
Cork contested the All-Ireland senior football championship group stage this year, where they defeated Clare and Ulster champions Donegal, but a loss to Tyrone in their last round-robin encounter, put them into the preliminary quarter-final stage where they were defeated by a point by Louth.
Walsh must be amazing at training
He should have brought Denis Connerton from Longford on board