Ger Cunningham to step down as St Finbarr's manager

Cork legend brought county title to Togher in 2022 and last month, they were pipped by Sars in a Cork Premier SHC semi final epic

LEGEND: Ger Cunningham to step down as St. Finbarrs manager. Pic: Jim Coughlan.

CORK legend Ger Cunningham will not be continuing into a fifth season in charge of St Finbarr's senior hurlers.

Cunningham confirmed to the club Thursday that he does not intend to allow his name go forward for consideration in 2026. His management team of John Cremin, Billy O'Shea, Sean McCarthy and Kevin Kelliher are also stepping down.

Cunningham's four years at the helm coincided with a massive resurgence in the fortunes of hurling in the famed Togher club. Having not made a county senior final in 29 years, Cunningham led the Barrs to their 26th title in his first season back at the helm in 2022 with a convincing 2-14 to 1-7 final win over Blackrock. At the start of that campaign, they weren't rated among the main contenders.

The following year as champions, they fell at the penultimate hurdle, losing the semi-final by a point to Midleton. 

2024 was their poorest campaign in terms of championship, as they surprisingly failed to emerge from the group stages, leading to increased focus and pressure on club legend Cunningham.

However they rebounded strongly this season, and were involved in one of two semi-final epics in Cork, again losing by a single point to eventual champions Sarsfields.