Cork football is in mourning following the death of former All-Ireland winning goalkeeper John Kerins yesterday (August 21). Kerins, who had been unwell for some time, was aged 38 and married with three young children. He was a Detective Garda based in Cork city. A dual Cork minor in 1980, Kerins was a virtual ever present on the Cork senior team from 1984 - when he made his debut against Clare in Thurles - until 1994. During that time, he played in four All-Ireland finals, picking up winners'medals in 1989 and 1990. He gave outstanding service to his club St. Finbarr's, winning an All-Ireland club medal with them in 1986. His last game was the 1996 county semi-final against Clonakilty. Tributes have been pouring in for Kerins who was undoubtedly one of the finest goalkeepers of the past 20 years. His former manager Billy Morgan said: "As a goalkeeper, John Kerins had no peer. He was right up there with the best of them. As a man you could not meet better. He was a wonderful friend, a devoted husband and great with the kids. "I was with him earlier in the morning and his last words to me were ëtake it easy'. That was John Kerins'way of saying goodbye." Current Cork manager and former team-mate Larry Tompkins was also fulsome in his praise of Kerins. "John was such an unassuming guy. Even with the success he enjoyed, and his brilliance as a goalkeeper, he always kept his feet on the ground. "We used him as a motivating factor this year, knowing at the time of the Munster final that this day was going to come. I said to the players how much he had given to Cork football, how much he had contributed to the success we had. We hoped to win that game for John." Cork county board chairman Jim Cronin said the deceased was one of the greatest goalkeepers the county had ever produced. "It is tragic to see a man so young taken from our midst. He will be a tremendous loss to his family, to the GAA and to his club St. Finbarr's. "As a goalkeeper, he was one of the best, if not the best, ever to represent the county. What I always admired about him was his marvellous kick-out. He would just take two steps and kick the ball 60 or 70 yards and could land it within an inch of the player he had picked out to kick it to. What many people don't know is that he could have been a dual goalkeeper with Cork." Tweet

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