2026 football management guide: New season, new set-ups

With the new inter-county season throwing in - and the league just weeks away - RTÉ Sport delves deep into the management teams that will be chasing glory in 2026. Division 1 ARMAGH Manager: Kieran McGeeney Year: Twelve Notes: A dozen up for Kieran McGeeney. To put it into context, he's now over the halfway mark of a Séan Boylan reign. No major management incomings, but Kieran Donaghy has stepped away to join Kerry after five years with the Orchard County that yielded a Sam Maguire success. No direct replacement was sought. The big change comes in the playing personnel with a core of experienced players – including Stefan Campbell, Niall Grimley, Jemar Hall and Ciaron O’Hanlon stepping away. Aaron O’Neill, younger brother of Oisín, is one of the new recruits but middle brother Rian is not set to be involved. DONEGAL Manager: Jim McGuinness Year: Three Notes: A new captain required after Paddy McBrearty’s retirement, but Michael Murphy is back on board for another season. An All-Ireland semi-final in 2024, an All-Ireland final in 2025 – no guessing what the squad’s target is this season. Some change in the backroom team as Luke Barrett - brother of Republic of Ireland striker Amber - has left the ticket to take up a role with neighbours Derry. A number of names – including Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh and Kieran Donnelly – were talked about as possible additions to the management team, but nothing confirmed as of yet. DUBLIN Manager: Ger Brennan Year: One Notes: Ger Brennan replaces Dessie Farrell on a three-year term and brings with him a host of names that terrorised teams alongside him during the Jim Gavin era. The most notable of those is Stephen Cluxton and although his retirement hasn’t officially been confirmed, Brennan said he "100%" won’t play for the side in 2026. Dean Rock and Denis Bastick are also on the coaching ticket with Niall Moyna there too having worked with Brennan in Louth. Cathal Ó Torna is a selector. The county’s domination of Leinster came to an end last year so there will be plenty of eyes on their response. Ger Brennan reveals over 130 players have been in contention for Dublin panel Brennan told RTÉ Sport that he has looked at over 130 players, so plenty are getting the chance to catch the eye. GALWAY Manager: Pádraic Joyce Year: Seven Notes: Pádraic Joyce is back for a seventh year in the Tribe County, and that comes with an extension to take him through to 2028. It’s the same at the top of the tree, but there is a notable change in the backroom with John Divilly moving on after being there since Joyce first took on the senior gig. The IRFU’s former head of high performance coach development Daragh Sheridan has been added to the backroom team, and he will also work with the Galway hurlers in 2026. Of possible new recruits, Shane McGrath of Dunmore MacHale’s did his chances no harm in recent weeks. Kieran Donaghy has swapped Armagh for his native Kerry KERRY Manager: Jack O’Connor Year: Five Notes: After hinting about stepping away after their All-Ireland triumph, and nearly winking as he did so, it was no shock that Jack O’Connor is back to try and add to his reputation as one of the game’s most successful managers. The Kingdom boss has achieved most things on the sideline, but back-to-back Sam Maguires have eluded him, so rather simple to see where his motivation lies this season as he agreed to a new two-year extension last August. In a neat completing of the circle, he has added Kieran Donaghy to his backroom team, the player he gave a debut to in 2005 in what was a real underdog story. Or Underdogs, seeing as 'Star’ caught the eye on the TG4 show. MAYO Manager: Andy Moran Year: One Notes: Andy Moran spent last season with Monaghan, but the call of his home county was too strong as he prepares for his second inter-county managerial gig having previously managed Leitrim. His backroom team includes former Mayo team-mate Colm Boyle and former Down and Derry manager Paddy Tally, who has previous out west with Galway. Moran’s magic has already worked wonders with Cillian O'Connor, James Carr and Rob Hennelly all returning to the squad; an emerging star Kobe McDonald could be involved for a season before heading to AFL club St Kilda. Speaking of the AFL, Geelong’s Oisín Mullin joined the team for a recent five-day training camp in Portugal. MONAGHAN Manager: Gabriel Bannigan Year: Two Notes: Gabriel Bannigan moved quickly to replace the out-going Andy Moran, with Andy McEntee coming into his management team after his departure from Antrim. The Oriel men are back in Division 1, but they must make do without a raft of experienced players after Darren Hughes, Karl O’Connell and Kieran Duffy announced their retirements. Karl Gallagher is back in the fold though after his time with the Adelaide Crows came to an end. Ciarán McNulty is going the other way though as he is off to Australia on his travels. The Scotstown contingent will get time to recover after their All-Ireland semi-final loss to St Brigid’s on 4 January. ROSCOMMON Manager: Mark Dowd Year: One Notes: One of three new managers in the top division, Mark Dowd replaces Davy Burke who has since linked up with Kildare. A very notable name in the new backroom team is Dublin cult hero Jason Sherlock, with John Rogers and Iain Daly also in there with all three acting as coaches and selectors. Leo Tierney will look after the goalkeeping duties. A couple of big players won’t be around next season with Ciaráin Murtagh, Donie Smith and Niall Daly calling time on their careers with the county. Eoin McCormack is back though. Jason Sherlock is with Dublin this year Division 2 CAVAN Manager: Dermot McCabe Year: One Notes: Having managed against his native Cavan last season as Westmeath boss, Dermot McCabe is back in the home dug-out having replaced the outgoing Raymond Galligan. McCabe won an Ulster title as minor manager, and was with Mickey Graham in the side’s 2020 Ulster SFC triumph. He has been presented with a three-year term. Fintan Reilly is in as selector with McCabe while Diarmuid Scullion will also be involved now that Scotstown’s club season has come to an end. Bríain McDonald and Felim O’Reilly will be in charge of stats and analysis with Emma Coyle as nutritionist. CORK Manager: John Cleary Year: Four Notes: John Cleary was handed a two-year extension after season’s end, and he will be well aware that Rebel fans will be expecting the team to pick up some positive momentum in 2026. In terms of the backroom team, Cleary has looked to the hurling field with Kevin Murray, a Liam MacCarthy winner with the county in 1999, brought in as a coach/selector. Shayne Murphy is also in as performance director having worked closely with the Scotland men’s soccer team in recent years. Galway’s Kevin Walsh remains there as coach with Mícheál Ó Cróinín, Jim O’Donoghue and Barry Corkery continuing as selectors. Steven Sherlock’s return is a major boost. Is this the Greatest Football Team of the 21st Century? DERRY Manager: Ciarán Meenagh Year: One Notes: Ciarán Meenagh’s autumn focus was on his native Loughmacrory as they won a first-ever Tyrone title, but it’s full steam ahead as he returns to Derry having served as interim manager previously when Rory Gallagher stepped away following serious allegations regarding his private life. Luke Barrett has been convinced to leave Donegal to join them while Chrissy McKaigue is in there too – although plenty in the Oakleaf County feel he could still be pulling on the boots. Marty Boyle, Darren McShane and Thomas Mallon, who will be goalkeeping coach, are there too. Ciaran McFaul is not expected to be about although Gareth McKinless is back fit and healthy. LOUTH Manager: Gavin Devlin Year: One Notes: Gavin Devlin has been closely associated with Louth in recent years, so it was no major surprise to see him replace the outgoing Ger Brennan on a three-year term. ‘Horse’ was there under Mickey Harte before becoming the Wee County’s underage football development co-ordinator. The Tyrone man has turned to his home county for support with Ronan O’Neill, who spent the last few years with Fermanagh, coming as coach. Peter Dooley will operate as Devlin's assistant manager. A first Leinster title in 68 years, a run to the All-Ireland Under-20 final and development work has started on the county’s new stadium – exciting times to be Louth fan. Gavin Devlin is hoping to add to Louth's recent surge KILDARE Manager: Brian Flanagan Year: Two Notes: Brian Flanagan is back after a promising first season that ended in Tailteann Cup glory, and he has bolstered his backroom team with the notable addition of former Roscommon manager Davy Burke. Burke, like Flanagan, enjoyed a lot of success with the Lilywhites U20s and they’ll hope to carry that success back into the Sam Maguire arena. Armagh’s Aidan O’Rourke remains involved with the Orchard County continuing to have long tentacles in Leinster. David Hyland, Daniel Flynn, Mick O’Grady and Niall Kelly have all retired. MEATH Manager: Robbie Brennan Year: Two Notes: Robbie Brennan’s first year in charge of Meath went exceedingly well as they made it to the All-Ireland semi-final, albeit where they were hockeyed by Donegal, but he has tried to build on that momentum by adding Armagh’s Aaron Kernan to his backroom team to work mostly on defensive duties. Conor Gillespie and Shane Supple remain while Conor Scully is in to help with the side’s transition play. Veterans Donal Keogan and Bryan Menton have signed up for another season in green but Shane Walsh and Sean Ryan are away from last year’s squad. Jack O’Connor has returned after a year out. OFFALY Managers: Declan Kelly/Mickey Harte Years: Three (Kelly) / two (Harte) Notes: No changes to report in the Faithful backroom team as they attempt to build on a very promising 2025. The Leinster side earned promotion to Division 2 last term and took home the silverware too with a thrilling final win over Kildare at Croke Park. They led eventual All-Ireland semi-finalists Meath by 10 points in Leinster before the wind-assisted Royals responded while Kildare got revenge – by a single point – in the Tailteann Cup quarter-final en-route to glory. Blow in the off-season as promising youngster Cillian Bourke linked up with AFL outfit Essendon. TYRONE Manager: Malachy O’Rourke Year: Two Notes: Not much in the way of backroom changes as Malachy O’Rourke tries to summon the power of another raft of All-Ireland underage titles for the county. The conveyor belt is there, but some noted names will not be. Conor Meyler has stepped away while Peter Harte won’t be about for 2026 – and may never return. Kieran McGeary and Mark Bradley are currently away travelling. Darragh Canavan will miss the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery. More than 10 young players will get their shot in January – Loughmacrory's Ruairi McCullagh is one of those that their fans have huge hopes for. Division 3 CLARE Manager: Paul Madden Year: One Notes: Peter Keane’s decision to step down after just a year opened the door to Paul Madden who has agreed a three-year deal. Madden led Éire Óg to three Clare senior football championship titles during his time in charge of the club. Shane Daniels, who replaced Madden as Éire Óg boss, comes in as selector, as does Ger Quinlan. Galway’s Kieran Murphy has committed as the side’s coach having enjoyed another fruitful season with Maigh Cuillin, who reached the Connacht final. Paul Madden is Clare boss after Peter Keane's surprise departure after just a year DOWN Manager: Conor Laverty Year: Four Notes: Conor Laverty’s time in charge of Down is flying by at a rate of knots and he is now into his fourth year in charge of the Mourne County. Coach Ciarán Meenagh has exited to take over Derry, so Laverty has had to beef up his backroom and has brought in Tony McEntee, who left Sligo last season. In days gone by, Armagh men in Down’s set-ups – and vice-versa – would have been unthinkable, but the O’Rourkes - Paddy and Aidan – broke down the barrier and McEntee is the latest to cross the divide. Former League of Ireland footballer Steve Williams has also joined the Mourne management as goalkeeping coach. FERMANAGH Manager: Declan Bonner Year: One Notes: Former Donegal manager Declan Bonner won back-to-back Fermanagh titles with Erne Gaels and it became clear from way out that he was likely to be Kieran Donnelly’s successor – the process becoming a formality when Maurice McLaughlin, the only other candidate, withdrew. Two-time Donegal Ulster winner Paul Brennan is in Bonner’s coaching team, as is former Leitrim star forward Emlyn Mulligan. Another former Leitrim player – goalkeeper Nevin O’Donnell - is also in. Tyrone’s Aidan McCarron is also part of Bonner’s set-up, as is Leon Carters. LAOIS Manager: Justin McNulty Year: Three Notes: It’s a third year in charge for Armagh’s Justin McNulty, who will have former Orchard team-mates Oisín McConville, Aidan O’Rourke, Paul Harty and Aaron Kernan for company in the eastern province. Ross Munnelly and Diarmuid Carroll remain in place for McNulty with Oscar O’Dwyer in charge of strength and conditioning. Michelle Caulfield will look after mental performance with Damien O’Sullivan in charge of performance nutrition. Dr Sean Montague has also been added to their medical team. Justin McNulty (Laois), Paul Hearty (Louth), Oisín McConville (Wicklow), Aidan O'Rourke (Kildare), Kieran McGeeney (Armagh), Ciaran McKinney (Armagh) and Tony McEntee (Down) are in management teams this year from the Orchard County's All-Ireland winning squad of 2002. (Picture from 2003) LIMERICK Manager: Jimmy Lee Year: Three Notes: Jimmy Lee is hoping to sharpen his attack in 2026 and to help with that, he has brought in former Treaty man Ian Ryan as forwards coach. No better man maybe given he once scored 3-07 in a qualifier win over Meath and he also helped coach Cork outfit Buttevant to the Munster JFC final in 2025. Micheal Cahill, Evan Talty, Pa Ranahan, Eoin O'Hagan and Dylan Kenny remain as the team try to build on last year’s Division 4 title and run to the Tailteann Cup final. Stalwart Iain Corbett has stepped away while goalkeeper Josh Ryan and Darragh O’Hagan - both starters in that Croke Park decider against the Lilywhites – are long-term injury victims. SLIGO Managers: Eamonn O'Hara/Dessie Sloyan Year: One Notes: Tony McEntee stepped away from the Yeats County and the baton has been handed over to Eamonn O’Hara and Dessie Sloyan. The pair have been handed a three-year term as they try and build on the decent body of work put in by McEntee. Sloyan and O'Hara's backroom team will include Con O'Meara, who was joint-manager of the Coolera-Strandhill side that won a maiden Connacht club title in 2024, and Donegal All-Ireland winner Eamon McGee. Paul Higgins, who worked with Sloyan at U20 level, has also been added as a coach more recently. Alan Dunne will be physio, strength and conditioning will be down to Seán Boyle and Seán Taylor with Stephen Gilmartin continuing as doctor. Aidan Carty (kit), Thomas Kerins (logistics), Fintan Kennedy and Jim Kiernan (both performance analysis) are also involved while Sean McGovern is goalkeeping coach. WESTMEATH Manager: Mark McHugh Year: One Notes: With Dermot McCabe returning to his native Cavan, Mark McHugh moved from a supporting role to the main character as he takes charge of an inter-county team for the first time. Former Offaly boss Emmet McDonnell is assistant manager/selector having been with the Lake County under Tom McCribbin previously. Jamie Gonoud has moved from player to selector with Tyrone’s Ryan Daly (head coach/selector) and Stephen ‘Archie’ Beattie (coach) helping too. Armagh native Tom Gribben is head of performance as well as looking at strength and conditioning. WEXFORD Manager: John Hegarty Year: Four Notes: It’s clear that John Hegarty wobbled over continuing as Model boss following their Tailteann Cup exit to Limerick, saying he’d need time to think about his position, but ultimately he’s back on board for a fourth run. The backroom is much the same, the only change seeing Alan Malone coming in as the lead strength and conditioning coach. The Laois man has been involved in a number of the teams in the Leinster region previously. John Hegarty is preparing for a fourth season as Wexford boss The playing personnel have been hit by a number of retirements though with Kevin O’Grady, Mick Furlong and Conor Carthy all calling it a day. Division 4 ANTRIM Manager: Mark Doran Year: One Notes: Down native Mark Doran has been involved in a number of backroom teams, such as Clare and Wicklow, but he’s taken his first step into the number one job with the Saffrons. Mick McCann is in as a coach, and that’s surely played a part in his brother Tómas’s decision to come out of retirement, with Paul Bradley there too. Derry’s Barry Gillis is goalkeeper coach with Eamon McCann and Brendan Murphy looking after the strength and conditioning. Kelly Fay is performance coach with Kevin McGuigan, who has worked closely with Swim Ireland in recent times, looking after the performance analysis. CARLOW Manager: Joe Murphy Year: One Notes: While this is Joe Murphy’s first official year in charge of Carlow, he has half a season as interim boss under his belt after replacing the outgoing Shane Curran – who left citing "player-related issues" - midway through the 2025 campaign. His selector/coaches team for 2026 are Barry Hayes, Christy Bolger, Mick Kehoe and James Clarke. One major boost for the new season is the continuation of Darragh Foley’s retirement U-turn. The player had stepped away prior to the start of last season, but returned when Murphy came on board. The county’s all-time top scorer has been booked in for 2026 too. LEITRIM Manager: Steven Poacher Year: Two Notes: No changes in the main backroom team as Down’s Steven Poacher tries to build on a positive second half to the season following a very difficult first portion. The county took a lot of slack for forfeiting their league match against Fermanagh as they lost all seven Division 3 games. Things improved significantly for the championship with a spirited Connacht display against Mayo before a Tailteann Cup campaign that included a win over Tipperary and a narrow loss to Sligo. Daniel St Ledger remains as coach, as does Anthony McGrath with Paddy Morrison continuing as goalkeeping coach. Five football talking points ahead of 2026 campaign LONDON Manager: Michael Maher Year: Seven Notes: Only Kieran McGeeney has been in situ longer than Michael Maher with Galway boss Pádraic Joyce also entering his seventh season on the line. Wins were hard to come by last year - just two in all, both in the league – as the Exiles dealt with the usual revolving squad. Maher has freshened up his management for the season with Stephen Lynch, a former manager of London’s junior team, coming in as selector. Donegal man Stevie Collins will act as assistant manager. LONGFORD Manager: Mike Solan Year: Two Notes: An unusual start to 2026 for Mike Solan as Longford’s O’Byrne Cup defence – well they were the last team to win the competition – came to a sudden halt, but the defeat against Westmeath came via a coin toss rather than on the pitch. Nobody’s likely to lose too much sleep with the league rattling into view and the management and players keen to make up for a pretty uninspiring 2025. Enda McGahern remains alongside him on the sideline. TIPPERARY Manager: Niall Fitzgerald Year: One Notes: Niall Fitzgerald is Tipperary manager – but in the most tragic of circumstances. The Moyle Rovers clubman took over as Premier manager following Philly Ryan's sudden death at age of 56 in October. "It's just a dreadful situation. We mention Philly. We talk about Philly. Philly is a huge part of that group of players," Fitzgerald said. Tipperary manager Niall Fitzgerald 'not trained to deal with' loss of predecessor Philip Ryan Conor McNally and Peter Tormey – who was with Clare last season - and Barry Mullane will form his management team with last year’s strength and conditioning coach Donnacha Mulcahy staying on. Ephie Fitzgerald has returned to the Waterford hot-seat WATERFORD Manager: Ephie Fitzgerald Year: One Notes: Year one but stint two for Ephie Fitzgerald with the Waterford footballers. The Cork native, who led his county to the All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship in 2016, was previously in charge of the Déise in 2022-23, before opting against a third year in charge. Michael Flynn is selector, Robbie Molloy is coach and Alan Kelly is assistant coach. Waterford finished bottom of Division 4 last year and the Tailteann Cup didn’t go much better. There was a good showing against Tipperary in Munster but plenty of room for improvement. WICKLOW Manager: Oisín McConville Year: Four Notes: There was plenty of speculation that Oisín McConville was going to step aside as Wicklow boss, but in the end he extended his stay by at least two years. The core management team remains as is, but there is a change in terms of strength and conditioning with Chris Coburn away to the Wexford hurlers and Adam Winters replacing him. Missing out on promotion was a huge blow last year, so that will be the main aim in the coming months.

View Original Article