Outgoing Cork hurling manager Pat Ryan has flatly denied all rumours of a dressing-room bust-up during the All-Ireland Hurling Championship final, describing the speculation as "disrespectful".
Despite encouragement from the county board to enter another three-year term in charge, the 49-year-old has opted not to seek reappointment to the post.
The Rebels claimed a first league title in 27 years and first provincial success in seven years, but their swashbuckling 2025 campaign was brought to a shuddering halt with a 15-point defeat to Tipperary in the All-Ireland decider, Cork's second successive final defeat.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport’s Marty Morrissey, Ryan admitted that, while it is difficult decision, he is happy with his choice.
"Part of me would feel there is unfinished business and a bit of regret of not getting over the line," he said.
"There is a bit of sadness, you’d hope the players don’t think you are letting them down, but the consolation I have is that I know it is the right decision for me."
It had been reported by the Sunday Times that the Cork County Board wanted Ryan to freshen up his backroom team, but the Sarsfields man is adamant it was their insistence that he sign up for three years that was a bridge too far.
"That wasn’t something I could commit to, for that length of time," he said. "I knew in my gut after that conversation it was something I couldn’t commit to. I felt sorry for some of the players. I know they respected me and the majority would have wanted me back."
Ryan’s final game in charge was the harrowing All-Ireland final defeat, a 15-point collapse in a game they led by six at the interval.
In the aftermath, the rumour mill was in overdrive with varying stories of dressing-room bust-ups in the Cork dressing room at half-time.
"Absolutely not," he said when asked if there was any truth to the tales. "Why would we be having a blazing row when we were six points up?
"I don’t even know where that started from. I went back to work on the Thursday and the lads were telling me about this.
"It’s totally disrespectful for the players involved. There were names mentioned. It’s desperate for those things to be done to amateur players, for their names to be castigated like that.
"Maybe if we had had a row we might have come out of it better off."
The second-half display – where Eoin Downey was given his marching orders and the team mustered just a brace of points – are wounds that are unlikely to be healed until Liam MacCarthy makes a long-awaited return to Leeside.
Despite a somewhat off-colour display in the opening 35 minutes of the final, the Rebels still notched 1-16 without ever cutting loose.
"In the previous final against Clare, people said we played better, but we ended up scoring 1-12," he said, yet the warning signs were evident to him and his backroom team.
"I was worried at half-time, very worried. I felt that Tipp were bringing a better energy, hunting the ball harder than us. We were creating scores – Diarmuid Healy and Shane Barrett had fantastic first halves – but Tipp were frustrating what was probably perceived to be our biggest strength inside in the full-forward line.
"At the same time, our full-forward line scored the same as them, but they were driving the contest, winning the physical battles and engagements. When you are not at that pitch, when they turned the tide against us in the second half, you just can’t switch that mental side of things.
"Tipp put us under pressure and we made mistakes. Credit to Tipperary and their management team. They got their just rewards."
In his statement, Ryan described 2025 as "an especially emotional and devastating year", with the passing of his younger brother, former Cork and Sarsfields hurler Ray Ryan, leaving a huge void in his life.
Elaborating further, Ryan said getting out of the inter-county bubble could help in the healing process.
"It was always about hurling," he said. "Our connection was hurling. We would have talked six or seven times a day. That’s a huge loss to me. Whatever would have happened in 2025, it still would have been the worst year of my life. It’s something that is going to take me a while to get over. I’ll never get over it.
"I probably need a break to help me get through it."
Ryan insists that he is looking forward to a break from elite level management in 2026 - "they might have a junior job below in Sars for me" – and can't imagine taking the reins with another county until Cork get over the line.
Waterford’s advances in 2018 were spurned in an effort to realise ambitions within county bounds.
"I needed to do more where I was. That was the reason I turned it down. Realistically, I could never manage against the players we have at the moment. What they have given me, I could never stand across the line from them."
The focus for the Cork County Board now turns to Ryan’s successor. Three-time All-Ireland winner Ben O’Connor – who has tasted All-Ireland success as Under-20 manager – current U20 manager Noel Furlong and Sarsfields manager Johnny Crowley are the early frontrunners. Ryan feels there is a strength to the quality of managers linked to the vacancy.
"We (Cork) have brilliant other candidates. The county board will make the right decision on that and will get the best man involved, that will hopefully bring this team on another bit."
