Kingston explains Cork departure

Kieran Kingston says he stepped down as Cork senior hurling manager after two years in charge because of the "sheer level of time commitment involved".

Kingston led Cork to this year's Munster SHC title, and to the semi-finals of the All-Ireland championship, but the Minane Bridge native rejected the offer of a new two-year term because he couldn't give "100% time and focus" to the job.

"It's a professional commitment in all but name, and it amounts to a second full-time job for any manager who has ambitions not just to participate, but to succeed at the highest level," he told the Irish Examiner.

"As everybody knows, the position of Cork senior hurling manager is a voluntary one. Certainly, financial considerations played no part in my accepting the position originally, nor in declining the offer of a further term recently.

"I simply could not and would not in any way commit to a further term unless I could give the position 100% in terms of the time and focus it deserves.

"Cork hurling, the players, backroom team and supporters expect and deserve that."

The Tracton clubman says juggling the demands of a full-time job, his family and his hurling commitments led him to reject the Cork County Board's request for him to stay on until 2019.

However, Kingston did not rule out a return to inter-county management in the future.

"Right now this is a busy time with work, and I also have three kids in college, so it's full on," he said.

"Who knows what might happen in the future - if the appetite was there in a couple of years and the opportunity arose again to go back into inter-county management I would certainly consider it."  

Missing the Championship already? eir Sport will broadcast up to 30 games from the AIB GAA Football and Hurling Club Championships in 2017. Coverage continues on Friday, 29 September on eir Sport 2 with the Dublin club football championship quarter-finals between St Vincents and St Sylvesters [throw-in 6.45pm] and Castleknock and Kilmacud Crokes [throw-in 8.15pm] from Parnell Park. On Saturday, 30 September, eir Sport 2 are showing the Kilkenny club hurling championship quarter-finals between O'Loughlin Gaels and Erins Own [throw in 2pm] and Ballyhale Shamrocks and Clara [throw in 3.45pm] from Nowlan Park. Later on Saturday, eir Sport are showing the Donegal club football championship semi-final between Naomh Conaill and Gaoth Dobhair [throw in 7.30pm] from MacCumhaill Park. 

Image: Inpho/Morgan Treacy

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