Cork U20 football boss Ray Keane: 'The proof of the pudding will be in the eating with us'

U20 is an age-grade where Cork is without provincial success since 2021. They haven’t bettered Kerry at this age-grade across their last six clashes.

Thu, 09 Apr, 2026 - 06:05

Eoghan Cormican

The first of the Cork football underage classes for 2026 begin their championship journey this evening in Quilty. They won’t be measured by how they fare against their Banner hosts. They’ll be measured by later meetings against the green and gold.

U20 is an age-grade where Cork is without provincial success since 2021. They haven’t bettered Kerry at this age-grade across their last six clashes. The U19 schools scene is much worse again.

Ray Keane is the new Cork U20 manager. He’d been deeply immersed in the local club scene before stepping onto the inter-county sideline the past few months. The state of underage Cork football is no cause for concern, he has insisted.

“The proof of the pudding will be in the eating with us, but am I concerned about the standard? No,” Keane replied.

Dara Sheedy starts for Cork U20s, Tomás Ó Sé names Kerry side for Munster opener

“If you were to look at the schools, are you comparing apples with apples when you look over the border? Probably not.

“In Kerry, you have Tralee, Dingle, Intermediate School Killorglin, and the Sem in Killarney, and that's about it. It’s a lot more condensed in Kerry, high-population areas, whereas schools down here are spread out over Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Mallow, Bandon, and so on. It's not comparing like with like, so it's very hard to judge it on a school's perspective.

“I suppose all along you might have looked at things like S&C, preparation, and all that. And I'll be straight, from when I've come back into this role, I've noticed a huge uplift in all of that.

“You might go into a job and say, right, we need to work on S&C. That’s not been the case here. That's proof they've been doing the right things the last few years, really, because it's not something that works over six or 12 months. It takes three and four years to turn the curve on it. And I just think it's gradually getting there.” Keane is South Kerry by birth. His brother, Peter, is a former Kingdom senior boss. How has a Kerryman found the experience of holding red reins?

“I wouldn't even look at it that way. I view it as I'm managing a team of young men, a privileged position as far as I'm concerned. Well documented at this stage that my life is in Cork. I’m here since 2000. I have two kids who are Cork people. My wife is from Cork. My life is here. My business is here.

“So, from that point of view, I wouldn't look at it as a Kerry-Cork thing or a Cork-anywhere-else thing. The opportunity presented itself and I chose to go down it. So let's see where it takes me.”

Cork (v Clare): B Curtin (Valley Rovers); F Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa), P Rose (Ballincollig), M Ahern (St Finbarr’s); S O’Leary (Kilmurry), C McCarthy (St Colum’s), O Foley (Bishopstown); D Clifford (Éire Óg), S Connolly (Ilen Rovers); M O’Brien (Ballinora), D Sheedy (Bantry Blues), G Holland (Bishopstown); S Coakley (Douglas), R Barrett (St Finbarr’s), D Miskella (Ballincollig).

Subs: J O’Flaherty (Douglas), H Wixted (Bishopstown), A Keane (Kinsale), T Kiely (Mallow), L Shorten (Tadhg MacCartaigh), L Murphy (Barryroe), B Corkery Delaney (Carrigaline), J O’Leary (Ballinascarthy), M Collins (Barryroe).

Kerry (v Waterford): K Robak (Dr Crokes); M Lynch (Milltown/Castlemaine), G Evans (Keel), D Mulvihill (Tarbert); S Ó Cúinn (An Ghaeltacht), A Ó Beaglaoich (An Ghaeltacht), P Walsh (Listowel Emmets); K Dennehy (Cordal), E Boyle (Ballyduff); D Kirby (Austin Stacks), M McKivergan (Ballymacelligott), J O’Sullivan (Kenmare Shamrocks); G White (John Mitchels), P Lane (Austin Stacks), R Carroll (Austin Stacks).

Subs: B Fitzsimons (Kenmare Shamrocks), D Stack (Kilcummin), I Brosnan (Castleisland Desmonds), M O’Carroll (Dr Crokes), P Finucane (Tarbert), R Sheridan (Duagh), B Kelliher (Dr Crokes), E O’Flaherty (Ardfert), J Joy (Ballymacelligott), A Byrne (Dr Crokes), M Horan (Scartaglen).

Waterford (v Kerry): C Drohan (Rathgormack); A Ryan (The Nire), B Boland (St Saviours), C Lyons (Dungarvan); D Nyhan (Brickey Rangers), F O’Brien (Gaultier), D Jacob (St Saviours); D Mackle (Abbeyside/Ballinacourty), D Colleran (Brickey Rangers); B Qualter (An Rinn), C Power (Rathgormack), A Curran (Stradbally); J Brennan (Tramore), P McCarthy (Brickey Rangers), C Royle (Brickey Rangers).