IN 2019, Keith Ricken brought Rosscarbery’s Maurice Moore into his Cork U20 management team. Later that same season, the pair celebrated Munster and All-Ireland success together.

Seven years on, the duo have now guided Cork’s minor footballers to provincial glory.

Add in the Munster U20 title won in 2021 and the partnership has now delivered three provincial crowns. There is clearly something about the Ricken-Moore combination that brings results.

‘Myself and Keith have been working together for the bones of ten years. We work very well together. I know when to walk away from him. He knows when to walk away from me. That’s probably the trick,’ Moore explained.

‘We work well together on the training pitch. He’ll jump in at places on the pitch and I’ll jump in as well. We have a great team working with the minors this year and the detail in relation to the support the players are getting is fantastic. It’s a nice template for teams going forward.

‘There are a lot of good footballers in Cork at every age group. Hopefully, we can see that bear fruit and they get the support they deserve.’

Monday night’s victory over Kerry secured Cork’s first Munster minor title since 2022. It also marked the county’s first provincial football success at any grade in that time.

With both the senior and U20 teams also enjoying progressive seasons, this latest triumph could provide another timely boost for Cork football. That is certainly the hope shared by Moore and Ricken.

‘There are a lot of people doing great work inside the county. This is a Munster championship win. We have further to go, but to see all the people on the pitch who care about Cork football is so important. Pat Spratt. Niall Twomey. Those lads are all out there and they’d give their left arm for anything to do with Cork football,’ Moore said.

Ricken, meanwhile, was delighted to see loyal Cork supporters savour another provincial success.

‘I was delighted for the people who are genuinely interested in Cork football. There is a cohort of people there and it was great to see. Only a few weeks ago, the U20s put in brilliant performances. The seniors have had a good year so far and they were disappointed down in Kerry. They know that themselves,’ Ricken explained.

‘There has always been a good spirit in Cork football. It just needs results to go the right way. This final win is great. You can hear the lads singing inside in the dressing room. That’s fantastic. That’s what they’ll remember – young men having the time of their lives.’

Heading into the final, Cork had brushed aside Clare (4-25 to 0-12), Kerry (3-18 to 1-14) and Waterford (3-19 to 1-12), winning those games by an average margin of 16 points.

The Munster final, however, presented an entirely different challenge. Once again, Ricken and Moore found the winning formula and their players delivered under pressure.

‘We had a load of games this year. The championship was winning three games at a canter and we needed to be asked questions. One of the lads came up to me during the week saying, “We haven’t been pushed yet. What happens when we get pushed? What way do we go?” Well, the proof was in the pudding,’ Ricken added.

‘There was a turning point on 17 minutes when Éanna Lynch made a fantastic diving block. That flipped a switch in them. They then went up, got going and got a couple of scores. Nothing rattled the boys. They stick to their task. They don’t get the hump. They don’t get sulky when they are brought off. They just get on with it and are a really mature bunch.’