Ger Cunningham: Cork need to bring more aggression to the table
Cork hurling legend and former coach Ger Cunningham reckons the material is there for the Rebels to prosper under new management in 2020.
Outgoing manager John Meyler has completed two seasons in the Cork hot-seat and is not looking to continue into a third campaign, it was confirmed Wednesday.
Undoubtedly former Cork goalkeeper Cunningham, who had a spell in charge of Dublin between October, 2014 and July, 2017, will be one of the names immediately linked with the role.
"I suppose anyone...when you don't win something I suppose there's always kind of unfinished business in that scenario," said Cunningham regarding Meyler, at an event to promote the Bord Gais Energy All-Ireland U-20 semi-finals which take place this weekend.
"He would have been targeting (the All-Ireland), obviously he felt he had a squad good enough to win it. He's probably in reflective mode now as to what happens next.
"I don't know, I'm not sure of the situation. It's kind of gone quiet. The U-20s have got the focus and the two senior semi-finals last weekend, people are just talking about that. It'll probably happen when the season finishes, the season is over in three weeks' time and people will start thinking about that."
Cunningham departed as Dublin manager in July of 2017 after three years in the position and was replaced by Pat Gilroy.
I went back this year with UCC, went back coaching and really enjoyed it, it was great fun, working a good standard of lads," he said. "It was nice to get back involved. I'm back with my club as well at minor level and enjoying that.
Asked if an inter-county role may appeal to him ahead of the 2020 season, Cunningham shrugged.
"There's a lot involved," he said. "Inter-county management is a big commitment from all points of view. It would have to be something to be considered if it was there, at the time it was offered."
Cunningham said it was a disappointing ending to Cork's Championship campaign and outlined some of the problems as he sees them.
"The hope would be that there's a batch of (U-20) players coming through that are potentially good enough to step up and that hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later and that while we have good players, the likes of Hoggie (Pat Horgan), that he's not going to be gone," said Cunningham.
"I think we've got some very good players, but I think they need to be supplemented and maybe I think the style of play...that you know when you're going to play Kilkenny and these teams that it's a different type of game, it's not a shoot-out. A lot of it is the physicality and aggression that they bring to the table and that has to be improved upon I think.
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