By Irishexaminer.com,John Fogarty
Copyright irishexaminer
Ditto in 2023, when it wasn’t until November that Paul Kelly was named as Tipperary football boss.
Football: Paul Madden (1st season): Clare were rapid in appointing Éire Óg man Madden after Peter Keane confirmed he was stepping down. He is well qualified although the county’s route to a fourth straight Munster final has been made that more difficult.
Hurling: Brian Lohan (7th season): Injuries beset Clare’s defence of their All-Ireland title but this band of brothers are expected to stick around for one more tour of duty under Lohan who was given another three years in July. A Division 1B start will allow player development.
John Cleary (4th season): How relieved were Cork that Cleary was agreeable to extending his term by another couple of years. The Castlehaven man is keeping the show on the road. He is blue in the face from saying promotion from Division 2 is a must but it really is at this stage. Will have Steven Sherlock back on board helping towards that goal.
Ben O’Connor (1st season): O’Connor’s appointment as Pat Ryan’s successor continues a strong line of succession for Cork. It won’t be until the Munster Championship that we will know if they have put the All-Ireland final out of their systems but expectations will again be high.
Jack O’Connor (5th season): Much like Cleary in Cork, O’Connor’s decision to remain on solves a lot of problems. This may be his third term but he is going into unchartered territory having never gone beyond four years in charge. Completing his own back-to-back and claiming a 40th All-Ireland title for Kerry are big carrots.
John ‘Tweek’ Griffin (2nd season): A year of discovery and some hard lessons for Griffin as Kerry were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup. Losing Fionán Mackessy and others were body blows. A solid Division 2 can set them up well for a tilt at returning to McDonagh hurling in 2027.
Jimmy Lee (3rd season): There were indications towards the end of 2024 that Limerick were poised to make strides and they sure came with promotion and a Tailteann Cup final appearance. Iain Corbett’s retirement leaves a void but Limerick are well placed to take further steps.
John Kiely (10th season): Mindset will be Kiely’s (above right) biggest work-on for 2026 after their shock defeat to Dublin. They may argue it wasn’t complacency but that’s the perception and there will be calls for changes to what has been an outstanding team. After losing it all in 2025, they want everything back.
Philly Ryan (2nd season): Tipperary started 2025 well but their promotion challenge petered out. Ryan will want a sustained effort at getting out of Division 4 before doing themselves justice in the Tailteann Cup.
Liam Cahill (4th season): For Tipperary’s second successive against-the-head All-Ireland title, Cahill should receive a further endorsement from the county board. It was a remarkably defiant year for a group and management who had taken so much flak in 2024.
Ephie Fitzgerald (1st season): Fitzgerald returns to the helm in Waterford where expectations will be low but he knows the lie of the land from his previous two years in charge. After losing some mainstays, the Déise have to develop players.
Peter Queally (2nd season): It all ended too quickly for Waterford again this year but they are back in Division 1 in January, which should give them more of a springboard. Donal O’Rourke is an excellent addition to Peter Queally’s brains trust too.
Pádraic Joyce (7th season, right): They dominated the province once more in 2025 but they looked out of sorts thereafter. The reliance on Damien Comer and Shane Walsh is waning but not yet to the point that Joyce can say they are mere support acts.
Micheál Donoghue (2nd season): A difficult first season back in charge for Donoghue where he leaned a lot on the old reliables. That’s not to say he didn’t explore other options but when it came to it, he was calling a lot on the men of 2017. Cathal Mannion can’t carry the team again.
Steven Poacher (2nd season): From a league campaign which seemed like it could have been Poacher’s first and last in Leitrim, he was recently given a two-year extension. The Connacht and Tailteann competitions went reasonably well and there is some optimism for 2026.
Michael Maher (7th season):
Two league wins, London’s best return in Division 4 since 2022 also under Maher’s management, augured well for the Exiles but their championship performances left a lot to be desired. Again, turnover of personnel will be a factor.
Eoin O’Neill (1st season):
Brother Pearses clubman O’Neill takes over from Neil Rogers who guided The Exiles to their second ever Christy Ring Cup title and promotion to Division 2 this past season. It’s a rich handover but London have to brace themselves for sterner tests.
Andy Moran (1st season): The positivity that Moran radiates should cut through a lot of the disappointment that pervades Mayo football at the moment. Winning the Nestor Cup hasn’t been as more important to the county since the early 2000s.
Mark Dowd (1st season):
The first native to hold the position on his own since Des Newton in 2012, it’s been a long road for the Strokestown man to get to this point but his CV is a solid one. His association with the 2010 and 2019 Connacht triumphs will inspire some positivity.
Eamonn O’Hara and Dessie Sloyan (1st season): Similar to Dowd, this pairing of former stars may have wondered if they would ever get their opportunity to lead the county. They have done it the hard way but they come in at a good time for Sligo when their underage talent is beginning to mature.
Joe Murphy (1st full season): Murphy sure hit the ground running when he replaced Shane Curran last season and the former Naas manager is bound to benefit from a full pre-season. He has been given a three-year term and don’t be surprised if Carlow are a Division 3 side in 2027.
Tom Mullally (6th season): Beating Waterford in Division 1B was one of the highlights for Mullaly’s side even if they did miss out on a McDonagh Cup final spot on scoring difference. Mullaly has brought real expertise to the group and they can take another scalp or two.
Ger Brennan (1st season): Nobody will be expecting fireworks from Brennan’s side in Division 1. Retaining their top-flight status while unearthing a couple of players will do just nicely. Dublin really have to acquaint themselves with taking and scoring more two-point efforts.
Niall Ó Ceallacháin (2nd season): Cork may have handed them their backsides in their All-Ireland semi-final but this was an impressive debut season in charge for Ó Ceallacháin. It should be Clare, Wexford, and themselves challenging strongest for the top two positions in Division 1B.
Brian Flanagan (2nd season):
Bringing Davy Burke into this thinktank and likely giving him the strongest coaching rein was a shrewd move by Flanagan. They may be the new dogs in Division 2 but earning qualification to the Sam Maguire Cup will allow them to play with freedom.
Brian Dowling (3rd season):
From Christy Ring in 2024 to Liam MacCarthy in ’26, Kildare’s rise under Dowling has been phenomenal and now consolidating their place in Leinster will be the utmost goal. Division 1B hurling will give them a taste of what to expect.
Derek Lyng (4th season): Eddie Brennan and Niall Corcoran, Laois’s 2019 management ticket, have come in to bolster Lyng’s backroom team for 2026. The Cats really have to develop a squad if they are to go beyond being the best in Leinster.
Justin McNulty (3rd season): McNulty’s second spell in charge has been reasonable but after consolidating their Division 3 spot after promotion to it in 2024 they will want to be pushing on. A better Tailteann Cup showing than last year will be demanded.
Tommy Fitzgerald (2nd season): A late start for Fitzgerald after Darren Gleeson had to step away for health reasons meant Laois were playing catch up but he looked like he was getting the hang of it towards the end even if Kildare denied them in the McDonagh Cup final.
Mike Solan (2nd season): The signs weren’t promising in the latter part of Paddy Christie’s time in charge so for Solan’s first season at the helm to leave much to be desired wasn’t surprising. They did finish the Tailteann Cup on a high but they should be competing to get out of Division 4.
Gareth Devlin (1st season): Louth were in little doubt about who should take over from Ger Brennan and the former Tyrone defender has intimate knowledge of the players coming through in the county not to mention what is already there. A strong emphasis will be placed on the league.
Robbie Brennan (2nd season): To come within a point of promotion to Division 1, beating Dublin, Galway and Kerry and an All-Ireland semi-final appearance marked an impressive first year for Brennan. Where do they go from here? Silverware has to be the next port of call.
Johnny Greville (2nd season): Not the most inspiring 2024 in the Westmeath man’s first season in charge but then the year before was a disheartening one as they were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup. A major improvement is targeted and expected.
Mickey Harte and Declan Kelly (2nd season): Kelly’s third but second in partnership with the former Tyrone, Derry and Louth manager. Division 2 is going to be an enlightening experience for the group but it is essential for their progression that it isn’t a chastening one. Self-preservation is a must.
Johnny Kelly (4th season): Retaining their Liam MacCarthy Cup status was a must and for Offaly to do it without Adam Screeney showed the deck Kelly is playing with. Division 1A hurling will be an eye-opener for them but they should be a tougher cookie to crack in Leinster.
Mark McHugh (1st season): It’s a nice fusion of northern experience and local know-how that the Donegal man has put together in his first inter-county managerial role. The year with Dermot McCabe last year and Davy Burke in Roscommon before will have him well prepared.
Kevin O’Brien (1st season): O’Brien comes in after a middling 2025 season for Westmeath when they relegated to Division 2. They will rightly have their sights set on getting back to Division 1B and competing for a McDonagh Cup final place.
John Hegarty (4th season): Limerick were a pain in the backside for Hegarty and Wexford this past season, one which they can look back on with a fair degree of pride. Retain their Division 3 spot and they can turn their attention to the championship with more than hope.
Keith Rossiter (3rd season): Changes have been made to the management team as Wexford are set to use Division 1B to develop a group that still relies too heavily on Lee Chin. Missing out on the knockout stages of the All-Ireland for a second year in a row would be unacceptable.
Oisin McConville (4th season): McConville was a wanted man but it’s a sign of Wicklow’s ambition that they have been able to hang onto him. They performed admirably against Dublin before a fine Tailteann Cup run. They’ll be in the Division 4 shake-up again, you would imagine.
Mark Doran (1st season): The former Roscommon coach is a solid appointment by a county who dropped to the lowest rung in the league but did show some spirit against Armagh in Belfast. Their biggest problem last year was in the opposition’s half of the field.
Davy Fitzgerald (2nd season): Antrim had hoped for a Davy bounce in 2025 but injuries and indiscipline played a part in them losing their MacCarthy Cup status. They should be more competitive in Division 1B before a McDonagh Cup campaign they will be expected to win.
Kieran McGeeney (12th season): Gaelic football’s longest serving manager may have lost his attacking coach Kieran Donaghy but there was never a question of him going anywhere. Armagh’s squad depth remains strong and an Ulster title will keep older players champing at the bit.
Dermot McCabe (1st season): A quick switch from Westmeath to his native Cavan for McCabe who replaces Raymond Galligan. If McCabe had ducks last year, they would have drowned such was his bad luck. Yet his team were always competitive and Cavan will want that carried over.
Ciarán Meenagh (1st season): The Derry scene is something Meenagh is well acquainted with and with Chrissy McKaigue by his side there will be a feeling of the old band getting back together. Derry will want to put all the turbulence of the last couple of seasons behind them and Meenagh could smooth matters.
Jim McGuinness (3rd season): A lot of soul-searching for McGuinness (left) after an All-Ireland final where Donegal weren’t just beaten on the field but on the line too. No Luke Barrett in the management team but Michael Murphy’s decision to stayinvolved is a great fillip.
Conor Laverty (4th season): One of the most exciting teams to watch in 2025, Down should breeze their way back into Division 2. Odhrán Murdock is a star in the making and a player that Down should be building a team around. An Ulster title has to be in Laverty’s thinking.
Ronan Sheehan (8th season): Sheehan’s story is one of quiet progression and even if they just about avoided demotion to the Ring Cup they claimed a Division 2 title and will benefit from facing the likes of Clare, Dublin and Wexford in the new year.
Declan Bonner (1st season): A third stint in inter-county management for Bonner after his two spells in charge of his beloved Donegal. Former Donegal defender Paul Brennan joins him. Being more than a team that makes Brewster Park a hard place to go has to be an objective.
Gabriel Bannigan (2nd season): Andy Moran will be missed but for a team supposedly heading into transition Bannigan’s first year leading Monaghan was a rewarding one. Stay up in Division 1 and they will be bouncing into the Ulster Championship.
Malachy O’Rourke (2nd season): The wealth of underage talent coming through for Tyrone will have to be given its head. At the same time, getting back to Division 1 will be prioritised by O’Rourke who will be hoping for a better rub of the green with the new rules this spring.
