John Cleary staying on as Cork football boss for 2025

2025 will be Castlehaven club man Cleary's third full season at the helm.

Fri, 19 Jul, 2024 - 19:18

Eoghan Cormican

John Cleary has confirmed he is staying put as Cork senior football manager.

Having taken charge on an interim basis in March 2022, next year will be Cleary’s third full season at the helm.

Cleary is currently in the process of finalising his backroom team for the 2025 campaign.

Having reached the last-eight of the championship in both 2022 and ‘23, Cork fell at the preliminary quarter-final hurdle this year when losing away to Louth on a 1-9 to 1-8 scoreline last month.

The team had put themselves in the driving seat for quarter-final involvement when winning their first two All-Ireland series group games against Clare and Ulster champions Donegal, but subsequent defeat to Tyrone saw them finish third in their group and handed an away preliminary quarter-final draw they were not able to successfully negotiate.

Speaking after the defeat to Louth, Cleary said it was “definitely not a definite” that he’d see out his third full year as Cork manager.

“We’ll see now. I’m three years at it and anyone involved in a county team will tell you it’s tough going, it’s a full-time job. Look, I’ll sit down with the lads. I’ll make no decision one way or the other.

“It’s definitely not a definite because the amount of effort that goes into it from all and I just have to see how the lads that worked with me this year are fixed.

“And even my own circumstances, it is tough going and we’ll just mull on it now for a few days and see after that then.”

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