Four Leading Candidates To Manage Cork Hurlers, And Three Outside Shouts

"There has been plenty of highs and plenty of lows but the joy that Cork hurling brings to your life is amazing," wrote Pat Ryan, as he stepped away as Cork manager after a five-year spell that brought everything but All-Ireland glory.

The 49-year-old announced, via a statement on his club, Sarsfields' website, that he would not be continuing on as manager of the Cork hurlers. He was offered that new term by the Cork County Board but opted to leave the role for 'a new challenge'.

Ryan led Cork to All-Ireland finals in 2021, 2024 and 2025 but his team missed out on lifting the Liam Mac Carthy trophy, on each occasion. This summer's final loss to Tipperary was the most heartbreaking of all, with Cork leading 1-16 to 0-13 at half-time. They would go on to only score two second half points and, ultimately, lose by 15 points.

Cork won the National Hurling League and a Munster title in 2025 but failure to get over the line, in the biggest game, with a talented squad was too much for many in the county to bear. Ryan was offered a shot at ammending that All-Ireland failure, next year and beyond, but has opted to step away.

Looking at the current landscape, there are four leading candidates for the top job in Cork hurling, and three men that fall into the 'outside shout' bracket.

The Cork County Board learned on Friday that Pat Ryan would not be staying on a manager of the senior hurling team. They may have already been looking a possible contingency plans, but efforts will now ramp up to get a new hurling boss in place.

Here are the three leading names to replace Ryan in the Rebel County's top seat:

An early frontrunner, O'Connor played for Cork with his twin brother, Jerry, and won three Liam Mac Carthy titles with his county, captaining them to glory in the 2004 All-Ireland Final. He was a two-time All Star and also won a club All-Ireland title with Newtownshandrum in 2004.

As a coach, he led Charleville to Cork Intermediate triumph in 2018, then took Midleton to a Cork Premier Senior Hurling title in 2021. O'Connor led the Cork Under 20 hurlers to All-Ireland success in 2023 but stepped away from that role, last summer.

The stellar success enjoyed by Sarsfields, in recent years, will inevitably lead to Crowley's name being mentioned to replace Sarsfields clubman, Pat Ryan, in the Cork job. Crowley has led Sarsfields to three RedFM league titles and got them to the All-Ireland Club Championship Final, in January 2025, where they were beaten by Na Fianna.

Crowley, who also went to clubs Ballinhassig, Ballymartle, and Castleylons to build up his coaching experience, has had Cork legend Diarmuid 'The Rock' O'Sullivan on his coaching staff and brought a Munster title to Sars, the first time, in 2011.

The Carrigtwohill clubman led Cork to an All-Ireland minor title in 2021 and took over from Ben O'Connor as Under 20 manager in 2024.

Furlong, who won a Cork Senior Hurling title with his club in 2011, enjoyed early coaching success when he led Fr. O'Neill's to an intermediate title in 2016. He then helped UCC to Fitzgibbon Cup glory in 2020 before guiding Russell Rovers to the Lower IHC final, later that year. He served as a senior team coach with Cork during Kieran Kingston, in 2022.

If Cork are tempted to look outside the county, they would do well to consider a man with All-Ireland-winning credentials like Liam Sheedy. The Portroe native won two All-Irelands, two Munster Championship titles and a National League, across two stints with Tipperary.

Sheedy has been kept busy, since stepping down as manager of the Premier County, in 2021, with a prominent punditry role on RTÉ.

The RTÉ coverage would be much duller without the former Cork hurler, if he was tasked with leading the senior hurlers. Dónal Óg Cusack played in goal for three of Cork's All-Ireland wins and was minor manager in 2020.

Cusack joined Russell Rovers, last year, and helped them to Munster JFC glory in December 2024. "He's definitely brought an unbelievable professionalism and discipline to the group," said Rovers captain, Ciaran Sheehan.

The former Inniscarra, Midleton and Cork hurler was a member of the backroom staff, under Matthew Toomey, when the county's camogie team won the 2023 All-Ireland. He took over the main job in 2024 and helped Cork retain their title. Brought them to another All-Ireland final, this year, but they were defeated by Galway.

The former Cork corner forward won three All-Ireland titles with his county in the 1980s and 1990s. He transitioned into coaching after hanging up his playing boots and helped Cork to All-Ireland success at Under 21 level, in 2005, before switching to coach Glen Rovers.

Mulcahy is more recognisable to many younger GAA fans as an RTÉ analyst and pundit, but he left that long-standing role in 2021. He returned to manage the Glen Rover senior hurlers in 2023 and led them to a Cork title, last year.