Bobbie O’Dwyer appointed Cork U20 boss with Billy Morgan in backroom team

Bobbie O’Dwyer has been appointed the new Cork U20 football manager on a two-year term, having guided the Cork Minor footballers to their first All-Ireland success in 19 years in 2019. Picture: Inpho/Tommy Dickson

Bobbie O’Dwyer has been appointed the new Cork U20 football manager on a two-year term, replacing newly-ratified senior boss Keith Ricken.

O’Dwyer joined Ronan McCarthy as a senior selector earlier this year having guided the minors to All-Ireland success in 2019 during his three-season spell at the helm.

In the first in-person Cork County Board meeting since March of last year, delegates supported the executive’s recommendation to hand the U20 post to the Urhan man who will be assisted by Cork legend Billy Morgan.

Having been involved in development squads for a number of years, O’Dwyer succeeded Brian Herlihy in late 2017 and the minors were narrowly ousted by Kerry in a Munster semi-final the following year.

In 2019, they bounced back from a provincial final loss to the Kingdom, defeating Monaghan and Mayo before dismissing Galway after extra-time. It was Cork’s first All-Ireland MFC win in 19 years.

A Munster minor winner in 1977, he won a number of London and UK senior football championships with Parnells between 1981 and ‘91. He has previously managed O’Donovan Rossa and Macroom while he was also involved with Legion. He will be assisted by Nemo Rangers men Morgan and James Masters, Kieran Cronin (Legion), and Ollie O’Sullivan (Garnish). Michael O’Brien continues as minor football manager.

As anticipated, Ricken was ratified on a two-year basis and he will have John Cleary on board as coach to the senior footballers along with selectors Micheál Cronin, James Loughrey, Des Cullinane, Ray Keane, and Barry Corkery.

Cork’s four-time All-Ireland winning senior camogie winning manager Paudie Murray was backed as minor hurling boss and he will be joined by his brother Kevin, Declan Fitzgerald, and Fergal McCormack with one more selector to be announced at a later date. In keeping with Cork’s under-age management succession process, it is a one-year appointment with Kieran “Fraggie” Murphy taking over the U16s from Murray before succeeding him again in 2023.

The Cork executive’s proposal to add All-Ireland MHC winning manager Noel Furlong and All-Ireland SHC winning defender and former Cork captain Pat Mulcahy to Kieran Kingston’s senior hurling management team was also endorsed by clubs.

They will join existing selector Diarmuid O’Sullivan in 2022 while Donal O’Grady is to continue in his position in coaching and analysis. Gary Keegan, who previously worked with the group in Kingston’s first term in charge in 2016 and ‘17, links up as performance coach, while Stephen Casey comes on board as strength and conditioning coach having worked with the minor and U21 hurling teams and last year’s premier senior championship winners Blackrock.

Replacing Pat Ryan, Donal O’Mahony’s term as U20 hurling manager is two years and he retains the services of his fellow 2021 All-Ireland winning selectors Fergal Condon, Brendan Coleman, and Traolach Martin.

Two-time All-Ireland winning midfielder Tom Kenny also joins the group. O’Mahony and Kenny previously worked together when John Meyler was in charge of the senior hurlers.