John Cleary expected to remain in charge of Cork senior footballers for 2026

John Cleary is expected to remain in charge of the Cork senior footballers for a fourth full season in 2026.

The Cork County Board meet on Tuesday night where further light could be shed on the Castlehaven man’s future in the position.

There has been suggestions that there may be changes in Cleary’s management team but there are strong indications he will be at the helm having initially taken over from Keith Ricken on a temporary basis in 2022.

Cleary’s management team for the past three seasons has comprised coach Kevin Walsh, selectors Micheál Ó Croinín, James Loughrey and Barry Corkery and performance coach Rob Heffernan.

For the second year in a row, Cork bowed out in at the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final stages when they lost to Dublin.

They defeated Roscommon to make the knock-out stages having beaten Donegal in the 2024 group phase before exiting the championship at the hands of Louth.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner last month, Cork chairman Pat Horgan said they hoped to confirm their senior management team this week.

“We hope to be in a position by August 5, at our next county board meeting, to have sorted the senior football. We will be speaking to John and hopefully we will have that sorted by then.”

Cork will avoid a third consecutive Munster semi-final meeting against Kerry in 2026 following the provincial council’s decision on Thursday to seed their top two league finishers in 2024 in separate semi-finals.

Horgan has placed a strong emphasis on Cork returning to Division 1. This year, they were one win short of making the top two in Division 2. They had four home games and could have the same again in 2026 as it is the start of a new two-year cycle.

Like Cleary, Pat Ryan’s initial three-year term as senior hurling manager has concluded but there are hopes he too will agree to remain at the helm. Despite a successive All-Ireland final defeat, Cork claimed this year’s Division 1 and Munster honours.

Meanwhile, Davy Fitzgerald is set to remain on for a second season in charge of Antrim. The Saffrons retained their Division 1B status in 2025 but were relegated from the Leinster championship and will contest the Joe McDonagh Cup.

It is also anticipated in Galway that Pádraic Joyce will stay in charge for a seventh season. The two-time All-Ireland SFC winner’s recent three-year stint concluded with the All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Meath.

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