Cleary backs young guns to step up

Cork U21 football manager John Cleary does not feel Damien Cahalane or Brian Hurley would be overawed by making the step up to senior championship football.

Conor Counihan’s side will be named tonight and the Castlehaven pair are believed to have good chances of being selected for their championship debuts. Cleary, a Haven clubmate of Cahalane and Hurley, has worked with them at senior club level as well as with the Cork U21 side, and feels they won’t have any problems settling in surrounded by more senior players.

“I think Galway might have made the mistake last weekend of throwing in too many together,” he said.

“By blending one or two in along with the more experienced fellas, they’re definitely good enough. They need to cut their teeth somewhere at that level and I’d have no fear of them if they were selected.”

If Hurley is picked in the full-forward line, it would be his senior debut. Colm O’Neill made a similar progression in 2009, and Cleary is confident of the attacker’s capabilities, given his displays for Castlehaven.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “He’s good enough, he played very well for us in the latter stages of the All-Ireland series and for Castlehaven against Nemo Rangers he was outstanding, I wouldn’t hold any fears for him.

“They’re 21 years of age now and, once there are experienced players around them and all the pressure wouldn’t be on them, they’ll do fine.”

Cleary was speaking at the Cork International Airport Hotel, where he was presented with the Southside Award for April after guiding Cork to the All-Ireland U21 final, where they lost to Galway.

That game signalled the end of his management term, and he indicated that a decision will be made in the near future as to whether he will extend his six-year tenure in charge.

“We’ll meet soon,” he said. “A few of the other lads were away on holidays, but we’d hope to meet in the next couple of weeks and make a decision then.”