Landers sees Kingston remaining part of Cork's succession plan

Cork might be looking at making sure there is some succession planning there, says Cork great Landers

Mon, 20 Jun, 2022 - 21:39

Paul Keane

Mark Landers believes that there could be an element of 'succession planning' at play when Cork finalise their hurling management team for 2023.

Kieran Kingston, in his second stint as Cork manager, has completed an agreed three-year term though has given no indication since Saturday's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Galway about his future plans.

Kingston said that he will speak to 'family, management, players and the county board' before making any announcement and was critical of speculation linking others, including Davy Fitzgerald, with the role despite there being no vacancy.

Speaking on Dalo's Hurling Show, Cork great Landers said it wouldn't be a surprise if Kingston was retained.

"There's certainly a bit of talk on the grapevine, and of course this could be more fake news and so forth, that potentially he may be given an extra year because succession planning is an important thing in Cork," said Landers.

"I think Pat Mulcahy and Noel Furlong, the two young coaches that were brought in this year, their first year with the senior team, Cork might be looking at making sure there is some succession planning there. I don't know whether Diarmuid (O'Sullivan) is interested or not but certainly I'd say Noel Furlong would have a lot of ambition I'd say to be involved in something and so would Pat.

"There's a lot of dust will have to settle in the next couple of weeks and then you'll have club championship. Cork traditionally don't make quick decisions."

Landers, referencing Liam Sheedy's RTÉ TV analysis that Cork still possess a group of players capable of winning the All-Ireland, was positive himself.

"Sheedy made a fair statement that the panel of players are there, they're at the right age, they have plenty of pace and I think there are a lot of upsides still to come with this Cork side, but there's a lot of maturity I would say at the same time that still has to be found," said Landers.

"When young (Ciaran) Joyce can come into the team and look like a veteran after three or four months, you know, I think a lot of the players who have been there for four or five years...I just think there's a way more upside to come from them because they had that same potential that Ciaran Joyce had when he came in at 19 or 20 and I don't think we've seen that really...

"Darragh Fitzgibbon, in and out, Shane Kingston, in and out, Mark Coleman, in and out, and they're the really good players. There's massive upside to come from those lads yet. It's just getting a hold of them and getting a match out of them I would say is the next protocol for Cork."

Former Limerick player and manager TJ Ryan railed against the opinion put forth by many since the weekend that Cork lost a game they should have won.

"I'm on a different page," said Ryan, who pointed out Cork's attacking issues.

"Yes, you could say Cork should have been in a better position at half-time. But the game was still there for then.

"For me, there's a distrust in the Cork forwards amongst themselves and I think amongst Cork people and I'd say amongst the Cork management team.

"If you take Conor Lehane, for example, and nobody will need to tell him it wasn't a brilliant first half, he wasn't really involved in the game and he hit a couple of frees wide but given the year he's had — Conor Lehane can light things up in 10 or 15 minutes — surely to God he was entitled to 10 or 15 minutes (more).

"Then we had a couple of other players, Seamus Harnedy, Tim O'Mahony, Alan Connolly, Conor Lehane, no score from play.

"This narrative that, 'Oh, Cork were definitely the better team', I'm not buying into it.

"You can tell me about the first half and 12 wides. Yeah, you can tell me about the two or three goal chances but the bottom line was they didn't take them. It doesn't mean just because you didn't take them that you're the better team.

"To me, Galway weren't brilliant. Outside of Conor Whelan in their forwards, I don't think anyone would be going away saying, 'That was a really good performance by me'. So this wasn't a vintage Galway performance but they dug it out.

"Two Cork forwards who started scored from play and two subs. Can you expect to be winning knockout championship games with those stats? At this level, that's the quality you are looking for when those chances present themselves. That's the ruthlessness that's required to win games.

"I just don't think they did enough to be in the semi-final."