Keith Ricken: 'The kick I get is seeing how all these lads develop and turn out, that's my thing'

For Cork minor boss Ricken, it's always been about a much longer journey of development and improvement rather than reaching any specific destination, or winning any single game.

Cork manager Keith Ricken watches the action during the quarter-final clash between Cork and Meath. Pic: Diarmuid Brennan/Sportsfocus

The way Keith Ricken sees it, he can't really lose.

Sure, the Cork manager would love to see his team win the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MFC title, something the county last did in 2019.

But if they do, you won't find him 'pulling my jersey over my head and running around the pitch afterwards!'

Likewise, should holders Tyrone retain the Markham Cup, for the first time since the 1940s, Ricken will 'still be in work on Monday morning'.

The former Cork U-20 and senior manager doesn't dispute that this means the world to the teenage players involved.

But for him, it's always been about a much longer journey of development and improvement rather than reaching any specific destination, or winning any single game.

"You might say, 'this fella is off his game saying that' but genuinely, the kick I get is seeing how all these lads develop and turn out, that's my thing," said Ricken, who also nurtures young talent in his day job at MTU Cork.

"These fellas winning an All-Ireland, if they were to win, yeah, there'd be a small bit of immediate satisfaction but the real satisfaction is, how did they turn out? How many guys went on to play for the U-20s, for the Cork seniors? How many went on to play good club football, to play Sigerson for their college? I have a fierce interest in that side of it. My day job is in third level, so that's where my heart and soul is."

Ricken's outlook has served Cork football well. In 2019, he guided a talented group of U-20s to All-Ireland success. He had a spell in charge of the seniors before agreeing to return as minor manager ahead of the 2025 season.

"It was supposed to be a 12-month gig!" smiled Ricken.

Last season ended with an All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Tyrone. The 2026 campaign will conclude against Tyrone too, but on a much grander stage, in Newbridge for a national final.

"It's time-of-your-life stuff really, at 16, 17 years of age, hopping on a bus with your mates and heading up the country to play in a big stadium, in front of a couple of thousand people," said Ricken.

But don't be fooled by Ricken's soft outlook. Any team that beats Kerry twice in the same season has a hard edge, and has been expertly prepared. After regaining the Munster title, Cork then took out Meath and then Derry.

And Ricken has left no stone unturned preparing for the final. He even took a trip to Newbridge last Tuesday, to check the pitch out.

"We train in MTU all the time, which is a big pitch, so I walked Newbridge and, to the step, it's the exact same size," he reported.

That's great for young Cork stars like Rory Twohig, their goalkeeper and two-point expert, Joe Miskella, son of county great John Miskella, and dynamic attacker Tom Whooley who should all feel right at home.

Then again, Tyrone beat Kerry in last year's Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor decider on the same pitch. It's a new group of Tyrone players for the most part, but Ricken reckons it still counts for something.

He's been impressed by Tyrone's midfield axis of Tomás Gallen and Charlie Meenan.

And in attack, Conan Canavan, Matthew F Daly and Brian Óg McGuigan have registered important scores. Like Cork, Tyrone have won six games on the spin, backing up their Ulster final defeat of Derry with wins over Galway and Leinster champions Kildare.

"Both teams are very similar in terms of physique and in terms of being very disciplined and very hard-working," said Ricken. "Tyrone have good resolve and seem to just keep going. They've done that in a few games, when things were going against them. A bit like ourselves really."

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