Cork duo re-appointed

JOHN Allen and Billy Morgan were officially re-appointed as coaches to the Cork senior hurling and football teams at last night’s meeting of the County Board.

Allen will serve with his four trusted lieutenants - Joe O’Leary, Ger Cunningham, Patsy Morrissey and Fred Sheehy - a combination that brought Cork All-Ireland success in September.

Morgan will be joined by two selectors who worked with him last year, John Corcoran and Teddy Owens, as well as newcomer Ger O’Sullivan from Dromtarriffe.

Two of Morgan’s selectors from last year, Coleman Corrigan and Sean Murphy, have opted out and Morgan has the option of naming the fifth member of his committee.

John Allen served as a selector on both the Jimmy Barry Murphy and Donal O’Grady winning managerial combinations before successfully taking charge himself last year.

For Morgan it is his fourth time at the helm of Cork football. He was coaching in 1979-80, 1987-1996, and 2003-2005. His reappointment has a fixed term of two years.

Under-21 coaches Sean O’Gorman and Tony Leahy have also been re-appointed as respective leaders to the hurling and football teams.

Johnny Keane continues in charge of the intermediate hurlers while Mossie Barrett will again be in charge of the junior footballers who won the All-Ireland this year.

There are two changes at the head of affairs at minor level. Last season’s hurling coach Denis Ring will now act as an Under-21 selector with former Cork and Midleton star Ger Fitzgerald taking over as coach. Michael Evans of Douglas and Coláiste Chríost Rí fame replaces Diarmuid O’Donovan as football coach.

At the meeting, John Corcoran of St Mary’s Ballineen announced he will not be contesting the position of PRO in the forthcoming contest.

Corcoran had been nominated for the position together with Bob Ryan of Inniscarra. However, because of his re-appointment as a senior football selector, he said that he could not serve two masters.

Corcoran’s withdrawal means that Ryan will take over as PRO from John Motherway of Aghada. Des Cullinane is also unopposed for the position of coaching officer.

This means that there will be only two contests for positions on the officer board.

It will be a head-to-head between Jerry O’Sullivan of Cloyne and Mick O’Loughlin of Bishopstown for the position of vice chairman, while Dermot Gowen, Derek Connolly and former chairman Tony O’Mahony will fight out the contest for youth officer.