Counihan accepts invitation to stay on with Cork

Conor Counihan has agreed to accept the Cork County Board’s offer of a two-year extension as senior football manager.

The 2010 All-Ireland winning boss, who was appointed in February 2008, will take charge of the county for a sixth season next year.

He will do so with an almost completely new management team as Ger O’Sullivan, Terry O’Neill and Jim Nolan have decided to step down due to a number of reasons such as length of time served as selectors and work commitments.

On top of their five seasons with Counihan, Bantry Blues man O’Neill previously worked alongside Larry Tompkins, while O’Sullivan (Dromtariffe), a two-time Munster Interprovincial series manager, and Nolan (Castlehaven) were selectors under Billy Morgan.

Naomh Abán’s Peadar Healy, who came on board with Counihan in 2008, is staying on and the rest of the new management team will be named over the next number of weeks.

In a statement released by the Cork County Board, Counihan expressed his gratitude to all three of his outgoing selectors for their long-standing service to the senior footballers.

The board also expressed their delight the Aghada man has elected to stay on. At their monthly meeting last Monday week, club delegates backed the further endorsement of Counihan after chairman Bob Ryan said he was entitled to another two years.

As it was agreed last week, the executive had been empowered to appoint the 53-year-old prior to the next meeting next Tuesday.

The new term is Counihan’s third in all after he agreed a two-year extension to his original period which elapsed after beating Down in the All-Ireland final two years ago.

He will embark on the latest tranche of his management having won an average of two trophies per season. Cork will next February defend a Division 1 title they have claimed in each of the three previous seasons after being crowned Division 2 champions in 2009.

They are also reigning Munster champions, winning the provincial accolade for the third time under Counihan against Clare in July.

Having reached the All-Ireland final in 2009 and 2010, Cork this summer failed for the second successive season to reach the decider when they lost out to eventual champions Donegal in the semi-final. They did so, however, not having conceded a single goal in their four championship games while they coughed up just two in their nine Division 1 games.

Counihan’s championship record reads 20 wins in 28 games with two draws and six defeats.

Although Counihan will be without much of his sideline lieutenants next year, there is unlikely to be a major drop-out among playing personnel.

Goalkeeper Alan Quirke, 36 in 2013, and Nicholas Murphy, 35 next year, could call it a day, but the likes of other 30-somethings such as captain Graham Canty and Paudie Kissane are expected to remain on for at least another season.

There has been speculation Counihan may have to share Aidan Walsh as well as Eoin Cadogan with hurling manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy from next season. However, Walsh is now a Dublin-based student and may find it difficult to commit to both codes especially in the early part of the season when he will be playing Sigerson Cup football with DCU.

Going into next year’s Munster championship, Counihan and Limerick’s Maurice Horan are the only long-standing managers in the province.

Along with Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney, Counihan is the joint longest-serving inter-county football manager behind Mickey Harte who goes into his 11th year in charge of Tyrone next season.