Keith Ricken confirms Mark Collins has stepped away from Cork

Mark Collins’ time in red appears to be at an end as Cork football manager Keith Ricken confirmed that the 31-year-old has stepped away from the county set-up for 2022.

With the Castlehaven clubman turning 32 later this month, it is highly unlikely that Collins will return to the inter-county fold next season and so the curtain looks to have fallen on an inter-county career that ran for 11 seasons.

Collins' decision to step away severs the last remaining link to the county’s 2012 Munster SFC final win, meaning no member of Ricken’s current panel is in possession of a Munster senior medal.

Ricken, who described Collins as the “world’s greatest gentleman”, predicted a successful future for him in management.

“He is going to concentrate on his club and his work, he is with the UCC fresher football management. In time, I think he'll be very good in management. I want to wish him the very best as he steps away from Cork football for now. I can see him back in again in some other guise in some other time. I couldn't speak more highly of him. He owes nothing to Cork,” said Ricken.

Collins' departure sees him become the seventh player who featured during last summer’s Munster final defeat that will not be involved with Cork this season.