John Allen (hurler)

Infobox GAA dualplayer
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = John Allen
irish = "Seán Ó hAilín"
fullname = John Allen
placeofbirth = Aghabullogue
countryofbirth = County Cork
dob = 1956
height =
nickname =
county = Cork
province = Munster
club = St. Finbarrs
clpositionh = Half-forward
clpositionf = Full-forward
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty = 2
clprovince= 4
clallireland =
counties = Cork (F)
Cork (H)
icpositionh = Forward
icpositionf= Forward
icyears = 1970s-1980s
1976-1978
icapps(points) = ?
2 (0-0)
icprovincef = 1
icprovinceh=1
icallirelandh= 1
icallirelandf =0
allstarsf=
allstarsh=
clupdate =
icupdate =

John Allen (born 1955 in Aghabullogue, County Cork) is a retired Irish hurling manager and former dual player. He played both hurling and Gaelic football with his local club St. Finbarr's and with the Cork senior inter-county teams in the 1970s and 1980s. Allen served as manager of the Cork senior hurling team from 2004 until 2006.

Playing career

Club

Allen played his club hurling and football with the famous St. Finbarr's club in Cork. Towards the late 1970s he won several Cork county championship medals in both codes. In 1977 he won both Munster and All-Ireland club medals with the St. Finbarr;s hurling team. Two years later in 1979 and 1980 Allen won back-to-back Munster and All-Ireland club football medals. He won a third Munster club football title in 1982 before adding another set of Munster and All-Ireland club football titles in 1986.

Inter-county

Allen was quickly noticed by the Cork inter-county selectors and became a member of the minor hurling panel in 1973. Over the next decade he would have great success as a dual player. Allen first tasted major success in 1976 when he won an All-Ireland medal with Cork's under-21 hurling side. He soon made the step up to senior level where he won his first and only All-Ireland medal as a player in 1978. Allen's sporting career turned to football following this. He won a National Football League in 1980 and won a Munster Football Championship medal in 1983.

Managerial career

In retirement from playing Allen became involved in coaching various teams at all levels. From 1999 until 2001 he served as masseur with the Cork senior hurling team. During that period the team collected two Munster titles, as well as an All-Ireland title. He opted out for a year in 2002 but returned as a selector in 2003. That year Cork won the Munster title again, however, they lost out to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. The following year Allen was still a selector when Cork lost their Munster crown but won the All-Ireland title following a victory over Kilkenny. In late October 2004 Allen succeeded Donal O'Grady as the Cork manager for a two-year term and was immediately charged with the task of guiding the team to a second consecutive All-Ireland title for the 2005 Championship.

2005: Munster and All-Ireland success

Allen's appointment as manager brought a level of continuity to the Cork senior hurling set-up. Very little changed with regard to the backroom team and the team virtually picked itself for every match. With Allen at the helm Cork reclaimed their second Munster title in three years with an exciting victory over Tipperary. In the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final Clare gave Allen's side a fright when they went six points up with just over twenty minutes left to play. Cork fought back and won the game by a single point. It was a wake-up call to a sid ethat had taken winning for granted. The championship decider saw Cork take on Galway, winners of a thrilling semi-final with Kilkenny. On a sun-drenched day Cork defeated the men from the West on a score line of 1-21 to 1-16. It was Cork's second championship title in-a-row and Allen's first as manager.

2006: Munster success, All-Ireland defeat

In 2006 Cork launched an all-out assault on capturing a third consecutive All-Ireland title. Allen's side got off to a good start with a comprehensive win over Clare before later retaining their Munster title following a win over Tipperary. One point wins over Limerick and Waterford saw Cork reach a fourth successive championship decider. Kilkenny, Cork's arch rivals, provided the opposition once again. It was a repeat of 2004 when Kilkenny were going fof three wins in-a-row, however, Cork stopped them. On this occasion the tables were turned as Kilkenny halted Cork's bid for a three in-a-row. Shortly after his first defeat in ten games Allen announced, after much speculation, that he was not seeking another term as Cork manager. Allen's selector, Ger Cunningham, was the early favourite to succeed him, before former Cork player Gerald McCarthy got the position.

Allen still maintains a strong association with the game as a pundit with "Spóirt Beo" on TG4 and with a regular column in the "Evening Echo" newspaper.

Teams