Conor Counihan

Conor Counihan

Personal information
Irish name	Conchur Ó Cuanacháin
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Centre-back
Born	28 September 1959 (1959-09-28) (age 52) Aghada, County Cork, Ireland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Nickname	Miley
Occupation	CEO of St. Joseph's Foundation
Club(s)
Years	Club
1970s-1990s	Aghada
Club Titles
Cork titles	2
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1981-1993	Cork	26 (0-00)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	4
All Irelands	2
NFL	1
All Stars	2

Conor Counihan (born 28 September 1959 in Aghada, County Cork, Ireland) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He is the current manager of the Cork senior football team.

Regarded as the greatest centre-back of his generation,^[1] Counihan enjoyed a successful playing career at club level with Aghada and Imokilly, and at inter-county level with Cork. He was a key member of the latter team during the 'golden age' of the late 1980s and collected two consecutive All-Ireland titles and four consecutive Munster titles.

Immediately after his retirement from inter-county activity, Counihan became involved in coaching. He served as a selector on the Cork senior football team under both Billy Morgan and Larry Tompkins, while also coaching the Aghada senior football team. Counihan was appointed manager of the Cork senior football team in February 2008.

Playing career

Club

Counihan played his club football with his local club in Aghada and enjoyed some success. It was, however, with divisional side Imokilly that he enjoyed the ultimate success in club football.

In 1980 Counihan enjoyed his first success with his native club when Imokilly defeated Cloyne to take the divisional junior football title.^[2] Aghada retained this title in 1981, before later qualifying to play Ballincollig in the final of the county junior championship. The game was a close affair, however, Counihan's side were beaten by 2-11 to 2-7.^[3]

Aghada took the divisional title at junior level again in 1983, however, Counihan's side failed to build on this and take the county title.

In 1984 Counihan was on the divisional team as Imokilly reached the final of the county senior championship for the first time ever. Mighty St. Finbarr's provided the opposition and were installed as the favourites. The game went Imokilly's way as the men from east Cork, an area known as a hurling stronghold, claimed their first ever title with a 1-14 to 2-7 score line.^[4]

After surrendering their title the following year, Imokilly were back in the championship decider again in 1986. Once again it was St. Finbarr's who provided the opposition, however, on this occasion 'the Barr's' were the reigning county champions. The game was a close, low-scoring affair, however, Imokilly eventually triumphed by 2-4 to 0-9 and Counihan picked up a second county championship winners' medal.

In 1987 Counihan's divisional side had the chance to make it two-in-a-row and retain their title. Nemo Rangers were the opponents, however, Imokilly were handily beaten by 2-11 to 0-9. the year also ended with Aghada losing the east Cork final.

In 1989 Counihan added a fourth divisional title to his collection before later lining out in the county championship final. Knocknagree were the opponents and, after a draw and a replay, Counihan's side triumphed by 0-8 to 0-4 and gained promotion to intermediate level.

After just two years in intermediate level Aghada reached the championship final with Ballincollig providing the opposition. A narrow 0-9 to 0-8 victory gave Counihan a county intermediate championship winners' medal and entry to the top flight of club football in Cork.^[5]

Inter-county

Counihan first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork under-21 football team in 1980. That year he won a Munster title in this grade following a 3-15 to 0-4 trouncing of Clare.^[6] Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final. Dublin provided the opposition on that occasion, however, a 2-8 to 1-5 score line gave victory to Cork and gave Counihan a coveted All-Ireland under-21 winners’ medal.^[7]

The following year Counihan joined the Cork senior football team, however, success was slow in coming due to the dominance of Kerry. In 1984 Counihan was also a key member of the Cork junior football team. That he won a Munster title in this grade following a 1-12 to 0-9 defeat of Kerry.^[8] The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against English side Warwickshire. An absolute rout took place and Cork won easily by 3-20 to 0-7, giving Counihan a junior All-Ireland winner’s medal.^[9]

By the late 1980s Counihan had established himself as a key member of the Cork senior football team. It was an unhappy period for Cork as their nearest neighbours, Kerry, had won eleven of the last twelve Munster titles and had put Cork to the sword on most of those occasions. In 1987 Counihan was appointed captain of the team. The ‘traditional’ Munster final between Cork and Kerry ended in a draw, however, Cork triumphed over the four-in-a-row hopefuls by 0-13 to 1-5. It was Counihan’s first Munster winners' medla in the senior grade.^[10] Cork subsequently qualified for the All-Ireland final with Meath providing the opposition. Mid-way through the first-half Cork had a goal chance blocked by Mick Lyons when Jimmy Kerrigan looked to be through for a seven-point lead. Instead, it was Meath who led by 1-6 to 0-8 at half-time, courtesy of a Colm O'Rourke goal. Cork’s Larry Tompkins’s radar was also off course as he missed six out of eight free-kicks. At the full-time whistle Meath were the winners by 1-14 to 0-11.^[11]

In 1988 Counihan’s side made it back-to-back Munster titles following another win over Kerry. The 1988 Munster Final was also a day Conor Counihan infamously caught Kerry midfield legend Jack O’Shea by the balls literally. A second All-Ireland final appearance beckoned. Meath provided the opposition once again as Cork got off to a good start with a Teddy McCarthy goal. By the end of the game Cork led by a point, however, Brian Stafford scored the equaliser. The replay was a controversial affair. Meath’s Gerry McEntee was sent-off after just seven minutes. In spite of being reduced to fourteen men, Meath hung on for a narrow 0-13 to 0-12 victory.^[12] It was Counihan’s second consecutive All-Ireland final defeat.

1989 began well for Counihan. Defeats of Dublin and New York gave him a coveted National Football League title.^[13] A record-breaking third consecutive Munster title was subsequently secured by Counihan and, once again, Cork qualified for a third consecutive All-Ireland final. Mayo were the opponents on this occasion and the game was a close affair for much of the opening half. An Anthony Finnerty goal after thirty-eight minutes gave Mayo a brief lead, however, the Connacht champs failed to score for the last nineteen minutes. Teddy McCarthy took control and Cork secured victory by 0-17 to 1-11.^[14] It was Counihan’s first All-Ireland winners’ medal and Cork’s first championship title since 1973. At the end of the year Counihan was presented with his first All-Star award.

In 1990 Counihan was sill a key member of the team. That year Cork made it a remarkable four Munster titles on the trot. A fourth consecutive All-Ireland final appearance quickly followed, with old rivals Meath providing the opposition. Cork suffered a blow in the first-half when Colm O'Neill was sent off; however, Shay Fahy was playing a blinder at midfield. In spite of only having fourteen men Cork won the game by 0-11 to 0-9.^[15] It was a second consecutive All-Ireland title for Counihan and it was the first time that Cork had achieved back-to-back championships. This victory was all the more special as the Cork hurling team had already won their respective All-Ireland title a fortnight earlier. It was the first time in the modern era that a county had won the hurling and football ‘double’. A second consecutive All-Star award quickly followed.

The following few years saw Cork surrender their Munster crown and Counihan was confined to the substitute’s bench. He played no part in Cork's Munster title victory in 1993; however, he later made an appearance in the All-Ireland final with Derry providing the opposition. Things did not go to plan as 'the Rebels' were reduced to fourteen men when Tony Davis was harshly red-carded. Séamus Downey scored the winning goal as Derry secured their first All-Ireland with a 1-14 to 2-8 victory.^[16] Counihan retired from inter-county activity following this defeat.

Inter-provincial

Counihan also lined out with Munster in the inter-provincial football competition, however, he enjoyed little success. He played with Munster for six seasons between 1986 and 1992, however, he ended up on the losing side on each occasion and finished his career without a Railway Cup title.^[17]

Early managerial career

In retirement from playing Counihan maintained a strong interest in the game. Immediately after his inter-county retirement his services were employed as a selector in 1994 with Cork manager Billy Morgan. That year Cork retained their Munster title following another convincing victory over Tipperary. Cork, however, were subsequently defeated by eventual champions Down in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Five years later in 1999 Counihan played a vital role alongside Larry Tompkins as a specialist backs coach and as a selector. The year was a successful one, beginning with the capture of the National League title following a two-point defeat of Dublin.^[18] Cork later reclaimed the Munster title after an absence of four years. An All-Ireland final appearance beckoned, with old enemies Meath providing the opposition. Ollie Murphy scored a goal in the first-half that proved decisive for Meath. Graham Geraghty missed a penalty for ‘the Royals’ immediately after the interval, before a Joe Kavanagh goal gave Cork a brief lead. At the full-time whistle Cork were beaten by 1-11 to 1-8.^[19]

Counihan returned as a backs coach again in 2003, however, Cork were humiliated in the championship. Following the resignation of manager Larry Tompkins, Counihan was, at one point, installed as the favourite to succeed him in the position. On that occasion the job went to former manager Billy Morgan.

Counihan also enjoyed a successful stint as coach of the senior football team with his own Aghada club. Counihan’s side won the All-Ireland Sevens title in 2004 and reached the semi-final of the county championship in 2005. Following that defeat Counihan resigned as coach and became involved in the underage sections of the Aghada club.

Managing Cork

In 2007 when Billy Morgan left as Cork senior football manager Counihan was one of the favourites to take the post. He was, however, overlooked again and the post went to Teddy Holland. Following a lengthy strike by the players Holland was removed as manager without overseeing a single game and Counihan was installed as manager in February 2008.

2008: First Munster title

Counihan was appointed manager at a time when Cork were facing a relegation battle in the National Football League. This occurred as a result of the team forfeiting their first few games because of the strike. Cork fought back immediately under Counihan and put up a respectable display in their remaining games, ensuring their position in Division 2 for the following year. Cork's first outing in the Munster Championship was a semi-final appearance that was less than convincing. The game saw Cork score two late goals to narrowly defeat Limerick. The subsequent provincial decider saw Cork take on reigning All-Ireland champions Kerry for the fourth successive year. Few pundits and commentators gave Counihan's side any chance and at half-time Kerry were cruising by eight points. Cork, however, stormed back in the second-half as Kerry could only muster three points and Cork secured a 1-16 to 1-11 victory. It was a huge turnaround for Cork and a huge boost for Counihan. Due to the format of the championship both sides met again in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, after a thrilling draw and a replay Kerry were the team that advanced to the championship decider.

2009: Munster success, All-Ireland defeat

A strike by the Cork hurling team in late 2008 and early 2009 posed a headache for Counihan. Cork and Galway have been touted as two teams that could possibly break the stranglehold that Kerry and Tyrone have on the All-Ireland title, however, Cork’s football team vowed to withdraw from the championship if the strike by their hurling counterparts was not resolved. In the end all difficulties were resolved with the resignation of hurling manager Gerald McCarthy, and Counihan’s plans for his team were back on track. A good National League campaign saw Cork reach the final of Division 2. Monaghan provided the opposition on that occasion, however, Cork secured a well-earned 1-14 to 0-12 victory and promotion to the top flight of the football league.^[20] Cork later qualified for the Munster final against Limerick. The game looked to be going away from Cork, however, ‘the Rebels’ fought back. Cork went on to win by a solitary point on a score line of 2-6 to 0-11.^[21] Comprehensive defeats of Donegal and Tyrone saw Cork reach a second All-Ireland final in three years. Old rivals Kerry provided the opposition and, while Cork were the slight favourites, Kerry had the trump card of having never lost a game to Cork at Croke Park. Kerry stuttered in the opening period and trailed by 0-1 to 1-3 early in the first-half. The Kerry team stuck to their gameplan while Cork recorded fourteen wides. At the full-time whistle Kerry were the champions again by 0-16 to 1-9.^[22]

2010: All-Ireland champions

Cork recovered from the previous year's All-Ireland defeat by having a successful National League campaign in early 2010. A defeat of Mayo gave Cork their first Division 1 title since 1999.^[23] It was another milestone on Counihan's managerial curriculum vitae, however, he still faced criticism over his team selection and relaxed managerial style. A defeat by Kerry in a replay of the provincial semi-final resulted in Cork being exiled to the All-Ireland qualifiers. After negotiating their way through a difficult series of games, Cork defeated Dublin to qualify for their third All-Ireland final in four years. Down provided the opposition on that occasion in the first meeting between these two teams since 1994. Cork got off to a lightning start, however, they eased off and trailed by three points at the interval. It took Cork fifty minutes to regain the lead which they surrendered in the fifth minute and, following that point by Paul Kerrigan, the team never looked back. Cork stretched the lead to three points, however, Down fought back. At the full-time whistle Cork were the champions by 0-16 to 0-15 and Counihan had finally guided his native county to the All-Ireland, a first in twenty years.^[24] This was the end of his first term as manager of the team, however it was confirmed on 27 October 2010 that he would remain in charge for another two year term.^[25]

Playing honours

Aghada

• Cork Intermediate Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1991
• Cork Junior Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1989
• East Cork Junior Football Championship:
  • Winner (4): 1980, 1981, 1983, 1989
  • Runner-up (1): 1977

Imokilly

• Cork Senior Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1984, 1986
  • Runner-up (1): 1987

Cork

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship:
  • Winner (2): 1989, 1990
  • Runner-up (3): 1987 (c), 1988, 1993
• Munster Senior Football Championship:
  • Winner (4): 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990
  • Runner-up (2): 1985, 1986
• National Football League (Div 1):
  • Winner (1): 1988-89
• All-Ireland Junior Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1984
• Munster Junior Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1984

Munster

• Railway Cup:
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (4): 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992

Managerial honours

Cork

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship:
  • Winner (1): 2010
  • Runner-up (1): 2009
• Munster Senior Football Championship:
  • Winner (2): 2008, 2009
• National Football League (Div 1):
  • Winner (2): 2010, 2011
• National Football League (Div 2):
  • Winner (1): 2009

References

1. ^ "Munster football team of the last 25 years". Munster GAA. 2009-10-24. http://munster.gaa.ie/2009/10/24/munster-football-team-of-the-last-25-years/. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
2. ^ "Imokilly Junior A Football Finals 1971 - Present". Cork GAA results. http://homepage.eircom.net/~kod/imokilly_junior_a_football_finals_2.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
3. ^ "Junior A County Football Finals 1971 - Present". Cork GAA results. http://homepage.eircom.net/~kod/junior_a_county_football_finals_2.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
4. ^ "Senior Football Finals 1970 - Present". Cork GAA results. http://homepage.eircom.net/~kod/senior_football_3.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
5. ^ "Intermediate Football Finals 1970 - 2005". Cork GAA results. http://homepage.eircom.net/~kod/intermediate_football_2.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
6. ^ "Under-21 Football - Munster Final Winning Teams (1887-2007)". Munster GAA. http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/under21football.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Donegan, Des (2005). The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games. DBA Publications. p. 156. 
8. ^ "Junior Football - Munster Final Winning Teams (1887-2007)". Munster GAA. http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/juniorfootball.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 164
10. ^ "Munster Senior Football Championship Winning Teams". Munster GAA. http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/seniorfootball.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. ^{[dead link]}
11. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. p. 407. 
12. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 407
13. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 177
14. ^ The GAA Book of Lists pp. 407-408
15. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 408
16. ^ The GAA Book of Lists pp. 408-409
17. ^ "Munster Railway Cup Football Teams". Munster GAA. http://munster.gaa.ie/teams/railwaycupfootball.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. ^{[dead link]}
18. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 178
19. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 410
20. ^ "Rebels ready for main event". RTE Sport. 2009-04-27. http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2009/04/27/story90286.asp. Retrieved 2009-07-30. 
21. ^ "Cork 2-06 Limerick 0-11". RTE Sport. 2009-07-05. http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0705/cork_limerick.html. Retrieved 2009-07-30. 
22. ^ "RTÉ Sport: GAA - Kerry 0-16 Cork 1-09". RTÉ Sport. 2009-09-20. http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2009/0920/kerry_cork.html. Retrieved 2009-09-21. 
23. ^ "Cork 1-17 Mayo 0-12". RTÉ Sport (RTÉ Sport). 2010-04-25. http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2010/0425/cork_mayo.html. Retrieved 2010-04-26. 
24. ^ "Cork are crowned All-Ireland champions". RTÉ Sport. 2010-09-20. http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2010/0919/cork_down1.html. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
25. ^ "Counihan commits to the Rebels". Irish Times. 2010-10-27. http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/gaa/2010/1027/1224282095515.html. Retrieved 2010-10-27. 

Sporting positions
Preceded by Jimmy Kerrigan	Cork Senior Football Captain 1985	Succeeded by John Kerins
Preceded by John Kerins	Cork Senior Football Captain 1987	Succeeded by Tony Nation
Preceded by Teddy Holland	Cork Senior Football Manager 2008-present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Achievements
Preceded by Jack O'Connor (Kerry)	All-Ireland Senior Football Final winning manager 2010	Succeeded by Pat Gilroy (Dublin)

Teams

Persondata
Name	Counihan, Conor
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1959-09-28
Place of birth	Aghada, County Cork
Date of death
Place of death