Cork 0-20
Kerry 1-28
MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS
THINGS just got interesting, but that’s not necessarily good news. Cork’s second Group 2 loss in a row has left the Rebels teethering on the brink of elimination from the All-Ireland series, yet there’s still a chance John Cleary’s men can progress. It all boils down to a must-win game against Roscommon on Saturday week in Portlaoise (4.15pm). Quite simply, Cork must win to stay alive.
The Rebels must also take lessons from the sobering loss to Kerry at Páirc Uí Chaoimh when the home side just couldn’t make use of their strong wind advantage in the first half as they slumped to an 11-point defeat.
Cork led 0-13 to 1-7 at the break, but Kerry hit 0-21 with the wind advantage to inflict another loss on this group.
Of course, a goal from Kerry star David Clifford, after a Cork kickout malfunction after four minutes between Micheál Aodh Martin and Brian O’Driscoll, didn’t help.
‘Giving away a goal like that, it unsettled us for a bit but I thought we settled then. Up to half-time, I thought we did play well. We missed two gilt-edged goal chances, maybe they missed one as well,’ John Cleary admitted, a reference to Mark Cronin and Matty Taylor’s missed opportunities.
‘We had to fight very hard in the first half to get us up three points at half-time. With that wind there, we needed more of a cushion at half time.’
Clifford and Paul Geaney opened Kerry’s account to push them 1-2 to 0-1 up after four minutes. Paul Walsh pointed for Cork to get them up and running from play before a Clifford brace of scores had Kerry in control.
To Cork’s credit, they scored 0-7 of the next 0-8 to go 0-9 to 1-5 in front. Walsh (two-pointer), Chris Og Jones, Brian Hurley (0-3) and Colm O’Callaghan all got in on the act. With Barry Dan O’Sullivan and Paudie Clifford forced off early, Cork had serious momentum and a Hurley two-pointer on the hooter had Cork up three.
Hurley did get a yellow card (as well as David Clifford) for his part in a melee on the stroke of half-time before Cork’s Walsh and Kerry’s Joe O’Connor got a black card each.
‘We knew it was going to be a huge battle in the second half. We felt we needed to keep it at bay for the first ten or 15 minutes. We got a point from the throw-in but then those three or four that were caught around the middle, moved up, it killed us then,’ Cleary said.
Hurley hit another two-pointer(free) to nudge Cork 0-16 to 1-12 ahead on 43 minutes but a devastating ten-minute spell where Kerry hit 0-9 unanswered meant there was no shock in the Páirc.
The game seemed to be petering but a penalty for Cork after a foul on O’Callaghan offered hope. Unfortunately, Mark Cronin had his effort stopped by Kerry goalkeeper Shane Ryan and Kerry ploughed on with two-pointers from Tony Brosnan and Tom O’Sullivan.
‘I thought Cork were spirited. They were aggressive. They were fighting. At half-time, if they got more of their goal chances, we could have been in big trouble,’ Kerry boss Jack O’Connor said after a Cork defeat that leaves it straightforward from here: beat Roscommon, or the show is over.
Scorers
Cork: Brian Hurley 0-7 (2f, 1tp, 1tpf); Mark Cronin 0-6 (5f); Paul Walsh 0-3 (1tp); Colm O’Callaghan 0-2; Chris Óg Jones, Ruairí Deane 0-1 each.
Kerry: David Clifford 1-8 (2f, 1tp, 1tpf); Seán O’Shea 0-9 (3f, 3tpf); Paul Geaney, Killian Spillane, Tony Brosnan (tp), Tom O’Sullivan (tp) 0-2 each; Paudie Clifford, Graham O’Sullivan, Dylan Geaney 0-1 each.
Cork: Micheál Aodh Martin; Seán Brady, Seán Meehan, Daniel O’Mahony; Brian O’Driscoll, Maurice Shanley, Matty Taylor; Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan; Paul Walsh, Seán Walsh, Seán McDonnell; Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley (captain), Chris Óg Jones.
Subs: Seán Powter for S Meehan (43); Ruairí Deane for S McDonnell (50); Cathail O’Mahony for B Hurley (60); Luke Fahy for M Taylor (64); Eoghan McSweeny for P Walsh (65).
Kerry: Shane Ryan; Dylan Casey, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Mike Breen, Gavin White; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Graham O’Sullivan, Paudie Clifford, Seán O’Shea; David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Micheál Burns.
Subs: Mark O’Shea for B O’Sullivan (22, inj), Dylan Geaney for P Clifford (31), Killian Spillane for P Geaney (ht, inj), Tony Brosnan for M Burns (58), Tadhg Morley for B Ó Beaglaoich (65).
Referee: Derek O’Mahoney (Tipperary).
