Where now for Ben O'Connor after Ronan Curran's Cork exit? 

The Barrs man cited differences of perspective with the Rebels boss in his decision to step back.

ONE AND DONE: Rebel County legend Ronan Curran decided to step away from the senior Cork set-up after a single season. Picture: Larry Cummins

As Ronan Curran pointed out, the rumours about a falling out with Ben O’Connor weren’t true.

However, the sustained speculation that he wouldn’t be part of the management team in 2027 was on the money.

Differences weren't enough to upset their friendship but Curran as much as admitted that contrasting opinions about how best this Cork team should operate were sufficient for him to step aside as coach and selector.

“I suppose with any senior inter-county season plenty of challenges were encountered during the year, no different from every club and team in the country, we all know the way it is,” he told The Echo. “This year was no different and the hardest part for me was the alignment of thoughts to overcome these challenges.

“Everyone on the management team wants the same thing but there are so many different ways of getting there. I want the best for Cork, so I thought it was in the best interest of Cork if I stepped away from the set-up.” 

Curran’s departure bears a resemblance to Liam McHale’s decision to quit Kevin McStay’s Mayo management team in 2023 also after one season. Like Curran and O’Connor, McHale and McStay had soldiered together as players and mentors. Through a pretty tumultuous period in Roscommon, the brothers-in-law had stuck together and had also won an All-Ireland senior title with St Brigid's in 2013 but that '23 season in their native county was a breaking point.

“There were five of us there and the four lads had a totally different philosophy on how this team should play than what I had,” said McHale. “I was surprised at Kevin because normally we would be in sync, but I just felt that there is no point in me being there when I am so far removed from their thinking.

“I didn’t want to drag anybody down or I didn’t want to upset the flow of the whole thing. I thought it was the right thing to do."

Similarly, Curran’s explanation for his exit asks more questions than provides answers. Why did he feel it best for him to go? Was he outnumbered or outgunned? On exactly which subject did he and O’Connor not see eye-to-eye?

The obvious, perhaps too obvious, suggestion there is the change of tack following the slender Munster final defeat to Limerick when William Buckley and Barry Walsh were dropped and never returned to the starting team.

Callow as they are, Buckley scored 17 points from play in five Munster starts and Walsh struck six in four. Their debut seasons were promising ones. Fellow rookie Alan Walsh’s 3-1 across the Offaly and Galway games may have justified his promotion to the team but Buckley’s fall in the pecking order was dramatic.

Curran wouldn’t be so stubborn as to make an issue out of Buckley not being selected based on their St Finbarrs allegiances alone. With the expectation of facing Galway, O’Connor may have favoured the more direct option of Walsh in the full-forward line and the buck stopped with him.

As things stand, O’Connor is down two of his original management list following Niall O’Halloran’s departure last November. “I got Niall involved and I was delighted he came on board,” said O’Connor the following month. “And it just didn’t work out. Two different ways of operating.” 

Again, that word different.

O’Connor continued: “I said to Niall one day, ‘We’re not going to work together,’ and he said, ‘Probably not.’ He said, ‘You won’t be happy and I won’t be happy and that isn’t right.’ 

“We parted there, he wished us the best of luck. That’s the way it finished, everything was amicable. There were stories going around that this happened and that happened – we had an honest conversation and we agreed that it was probably the right thing for the two of us to split.” 

So long as the quest for an All-Ireland lengthens, tales will grow tall in Cork but there is nothing high about another management figure leaving O’Connor’s fold.

Cian O’Neill’s name continues to be associated with linking up once more with O’Connor. There has also been a mention or two of Anthony Nash. The former Cork goalkeeper was part of O’Connor’s U20 management team along with Curran and Terence McCarthy, who is expected to remain as a senior advisor. Like Curran who is coaching Ballincollig, Nash remains at the club coalface with Ballygiblin.

Whoever it is, O’Connor will have to replenish his brains trust after the exit of his trusted lieutenant.