Breaking: Keith Ricken to take over Cork senior footballers

Keith Ricken will take charge of the Cork seniors in 2022. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Keith Ricken is the new Cork senior football manager, the All-Ireland U20 winning boss emerging from a crowded field as the preferred choice of the selection committee.

Ricken was this afternoon confirmed as the recommendation of the five-person Cork GAA selection committee charged with putting in place Ronan McCarthy’s successor. He has been handed a two-year term.

The GAA Development Officer at Munster Technological University has spent the last three years managing the Cork U20 footballers, during which time he led the county to Munster titles in 2019 and 2021, as well as All-Ireland silverware in the former of these campaigns.

His promotion to senior manager means he will now be charged with bringing through to senior inter-county level many of the players he worked with over the past three years. 

Several members of his 2019 All-Ireland winning team — namely Sean Meehan, Brian Hartnett, Colm O’Callaghan, Cathail O’Mahony, and Damien Gore — have already graduated to the senior set-up.

The new senior manager’s CV also includes steering CIT to its one and only Sigerson Cup triumph in 2009. He twice guided his native club, St Vincent’s, to Cork premier intermediate football glory in 2006 and 2012.

Ricken, who was a late entry into the race to become the next Cork manager, and will be joined by Micheál Ó Cróinín (Naomh Abán), James Loughrey (St. Brigid’s / Mallow), Barry Corkery (Éire Óg), Des Cullinane (St. Nicholas) and Ray Keane, brother of former Kerry manager Peter (MTU / S. Finbarr’s) as his selectors. The coach will be announced in the near future, Cork GAA said.