Kennedy steps down

KERRY U21 boss John Kennedy has stepped down from his post a fortnight after his side were hammered by Cork in the Munster championship final.

Kennedy, and his management team of Tom Prendergast and Liam Brosnan, informed chairman Jerome Conway they will not be seeking an extension on their two year term which ended with the 2-24 to 0-8 defeat to the Rebels.

The Asdee clubman admitted the hammering of Leeside was the worst defeat of his managerial career.

Kennedy, the holder of three All-Ireland SFC medals, said: “I enjoyed my time involved and although I didn’t win an All-Ireland I think if you look at players that came through in my time, players like Tommy Walsh, David Moran, Barry John Keane, Barry John Walsh, Shane Enright, Peter Crowley along with JB Spillane and Daithi Casey, many of whom are now part of the senior Kerry squad. I feel that winning All-Ireland titles is not everything at underage level.

“I found the U21 competition tough, because of its timing and the numbers of competitions that players are playing in at this time of the year. I think the results all over the country prove that point, there are no strong form lines from game to game. I will be taking a break now for a while but will not rule out a return to intercounty management in the future.”