Wayne Sherlock takes Blackrock reins, Eoin Moloney called up to Cork hurling panel

New Blackrock boss Wayne Sherlock. Pic: Tom Maher, Inpho

All-Ireland-winning Cork defender Wayne Sherlock is the new Blackrock hurling manager.

A three-time county championship winner with the Rockies, this will be Sherlock’s first time holding the local reins, having previously worked under old teammate Fergal Ryan during the early part of his six years at the helm.

Sherlock, of course, brings a wealth of inter-county sideline experience to the Blackrock gig. 

He was a selector under Pat Ryan for Cork’s back-to-back All-Ireland U20 wins of 2020 and ‘21, and continued with Pat when the latter held the Cork senior post from 2023-25.

A defender on Cork’s All-Ireland-winning teams of 1999, 2004, and ‘05, Sherlock succeeds Jamie Harrington as Blackrock manager.

Although overcoming eventual champions Glen Rovers with just 14 men on the opening day of the 2026 Cork championship, Blackrock would fail to emerge from the group phase for the first time in the seven seasons of the current format.

Hammered 2-27 to 2-16 by Kanturk in Round 3, Blackrock’s four-point total was insufficient to progress to the quarter-finals. Their inferior score difference to both the Glen and Kanturk consigned them to third place in the group and early elimination.

Champions in 2020 and beaten finalists in 2022, Blackrock have been ever-present at the concluding end of the Little All-Ireland in recent years, with the semi-finals reached in 2021, ‘24, and ‘25.

Elsewhere, Midleton defender Eoin Moloney has been called up to Ben O’Connor’s Cork hurling panel. Moloney would likely have received the call-up 12 months earlier but for the Achilles injury that sidelined him on the eve of the 2025 Cork hurling final.

Moloney, operating at full-back, was one of the outstanding defenders during last year’s county championship, but was unable to line out in Midleton’s county final defeat to Sars because of the ruptured Achilles he suffered at the very end of their semi-final victory over Blackrock.

“Looking through the Midleton line-up, Eoin Moloney was in pole position for a call-up before misfortune visited the full-back,” Seánie McGrath wrote in his Irish Examiner column the week after last year’s county final.

Eight months sidelined, Moloney returned to local action in June of this year. He was a used sub for Midleton's group opener and closer in the championship, starting the Round 2 win over Newcestown, as well as the later semi-final defeat to Glen Rovers.