{"id":403424,"date":"2026-04-17T13:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/403424\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:14:11","slug":"ray-keane-praises-resolve-as-cork-u20s-edge-kerry-and-take-a-real-step-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/403424\/","title":{"rendered":"Ray Keane praises resolve as Cork U20s edge Kerry and take a real step forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cork manager Ray Keane said his side \u201cjust got over the line\u201d but fully earned the right to enjoy a rare victory over Kerry after the Rebels edged a tense Dalata Hotel Group Munster U20 Football Championship Phase 2 Round 2 clash at SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh on Thursday evening.<\/p>\n

The 0-10 to 0-9 win ended a six-game losing run to the Kingdom at this grade and marked Cork\u2019s first victory over their neighbours since 2021 at this level.<\/p>\n

It’s also a first victory for a Cork football team over Kerry in the championship since winning a Munster minor quarter-final in 2023.<\/p>\n

In front of a small crowd, those inside the stadium made their voices heard at the final whistle, chanting \u201cRebels, Rebels, Rebels\u201d as the Cork players headed down the tunnel.<\/p>\n

This was a step in the right direction. After a draw away to Clare on the opening day, this was a marked improvement in every department.<\/p>\n

Keane, typically measured in both victory and defeat, refused to dress the result up as anything more than what it was: a narrow win and hard won.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t necessarily say it was a big win \u2014 it was a win,\u201d the \u00c9ire \u00d3g clubman said post-match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Kerry'sKerry’s Evan Boyle is tackled by Cork’s Gary Holland. Picture: Eddie O’Hare<\/p>\n

\u201cDelighted to get over the line. Kerry left a lot after them, to be fair. Beyond all illusions, we probably just got over the line \u2014 that\u2019s what we did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cComing out of Quilty last week, we were just a bit frustrated really. I said to you about a lack of rhythm. To be fair to them, we worked hard this evening \u2014 worked extremely hard. If you work hard, anything is possible after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoaches can build performance, but I just want the lads to work. If you work, the performance will happen. With this group, there\u2019s enough football in them to get enough out of them then if they can get that going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cork\u2019s defensive structure was disciplined, their tackling honest, and their willingness to stay in the fight \u2014 especially during a strange, low-scoring first 30 minutes that ended 0-3 apiece \u2014 impressed their manager.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou take the first eight minutes \u2014 Billy Curtin, our goalkeeper, was the only Cork man to touch the ball and that was kicking it out,\u201d Keane said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt tells you an awful lot about the new rules and the unfairness of them at times. If you pin a team in, the momentum is very hard to swing. But we got our hands on the ball, went up the field, got a score, and gained back a bit of momentum.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The biggest concern of the evening came after 21 minutes when Dara Sheedy \u2014 one of Cork\u2019s most influential forwards and a key senior player\u2014 was forced off. Keane was cautious in his assessment.<\/p>\n

\"Cork'sCork’s Dara Sheedy who got injured against Kerry. Picture: Eddie O’Hare<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a bit of a knock. We\u2019ll see where it goes. To be fair to the physios, you\u2019re talking about the best of the best from the physio department. If he\u2019s available for our next game, we\u2019ll see and take it from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cDara\u2019s only one of 35 or 36 players, give or take, and he\u2019d tell you that himself. This is all about the collective one way or the other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That collective spirit was evident in the second half as Cork\u2019s bench and supporting cast stepped up in Sheedy\u2019s absence. There wasn\u2019t one particular player driving it on \u2014 and that, from a Cork point of view, was the most pleasing aspect.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of them would have been very frustrated with themselves last Thursday against Clare,\u201d Keane said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you put the head down and grind away, anything is possible. The great thing about sport is there\u2019s always tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of this is about survival. But you just have to be happy with the win.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Asked whether beating Kerry would give his players belief, Keane broadened the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cKerry or Dublin or Clare or Waterford \u2014 regardless of who it is, there should be no reason why they shouldn\u2019t have belief. They\u2019re at this level for a reason. They\u2019re playing the sport they\u2019ve loved all their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of them \u2014 like Cathal McCarthy \u2014 comes up an hour and a half from West Cork for training, and he goes farming before he comes up. This is the stuff people don\u2019t see.<\/p>\n

\"Cork\u2019sCork\u2019s Odhran Foley on the move against Kerry. Picture: Noel Sweeney<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re putting all that effort and work in \u2014 what are you doing? You want to perform and if you perform, results will happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Rebels will face Waterford next Wednesday at SuperValu P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh (7pm), where a positive result will send them into the Munster final. It\u2019s effectively winner-takes-all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cork manager Ray Keane said his side \u201cjust got over the line\u201d but fully earned the right to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403425,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1964,61,60,112],"class_list":["post-403424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-cork-gaa","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}