Cork 7-26
Dublin 2-21
JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS
AFTER scoring seven goals en route to a 20-point win over Dublin in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC semi-final, one might think that Cork manager Pat Ryan could not ask for more.
However, perhaps it is that quest for perfection that has underpinned Cork’s journey to the decider for a second straight year, with Tipperary advancing past Kilkenny to set up a first final between the Munster ‘old firm’.
Despite not having played in four weeks since beating Limerick in the provincial final, Cork were fluent from the off, scoring four first-half goals to put themselves in an impregnable position.
While preferring to credit others for how well Cork settled, Ryan still felt there was more to be mined.
‘We have a fantastic coach in Donal O'Rourke,’ he said, ‘he's doing a brilliant job for us and we're working on all that stuff all along, and, look, to be honest, it's player-driven, it’s player-led.
‘The lads are involved in what way we want to move, how we can create space, how we can get the ball into them. But, look, the backs need to win the ball, we need to stop puck-outs, we need to be physical, we need to be aggressive and that's something that we're really going after all the time.
‘We left a couple of chances behind us, I felt as well, as regards easier scores and I'll probably be on to the lads about a bit more workrate as well. we were kind of happy that we were winning and putting it into the back of the net but our tackling from behind wasn't good enough. That won’t do the next day.’
Cork probably won’t score seven goals the next day, either; but, taking this game on its own merits, Ryan surely found little fault with the attacking output.
The first four points had been evenly shared when Brian Hayes produced a lovely flick to direct a Patrick Collins puckout to Diarmuid Healy; then, after Declan Dalton got involved in the move, Hayes was there to finish it off with a smart feint and shot.
Cork's Sean O'Donoghue clears his lines as Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan tries to challenge.
It set the tone that Cork were keyed in – but it was a team display, with Seán O’Donoghue and Mark Coleman as prominent in defence as those who were putting the scores on the board. A Niall O’Leary turnover at 1-5 to 0-4 led to the second goal, with Ciarán Joyce finding Hayes, who in turn set up Alan Connolly to do the rest.
Tim O’Mahony was the provider for Connolly to strike again, incredible stickwork without needing to touch the ball with his hand, and it was 3-5 to 0-5 with just 14 minutes gone.
Dublin did respond and had a goal from Cian O’Sullivan, the man with Beara blood, and might have had another as Fergal Whitely’s shot hit the crossbar but that period was just brief respite as Cork continued to build their score, with Declan Dalton immense in the half-forward line. By half-time, it was 4-13 to 0-12, Hayes netting his second after a lovely link-up play between Patrick Horgan and Connolly.
Goalkeeper Patrick Collins did need to make an important save from Dublin’s Ronan Hayes in the opening minutes of the second half but otherwise Cork continued to press. Tim O’Mahony, totemic in midfield, was rewarded with a goal – Horgan again unselfish in the build-up – for 5-17 to 2-17 and O’Mahony had another with a tennis-style finish
Subs Shane Kingston, Conor Lehane and Jack O’Connor all landed points near the end and there was time for a seventh goal at the death – Connolly with his hat-trick, set up by another replacement, Robbie O’Flynn.
It was the perfect end to a perfect evening, cheered on by a Cork crowd of around 60,000, if not more. The final will be a bigger test again, but Cork seem ready.
Scorers
Cork: Alan Connolly 3-2, Patrick Horgan 0-8 (6f), Brian Hayes, Tim O’Mahony 2-1 each, Declan Dalton 0-5 (2f), Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-3, Shane Kingston 0-2, Diarmuid Healy, Conor Lehane, Jack O’Connor, Ciarán Joyce 0-1 each.
Dublin: Cian O’Sullivan 2-5, Seán Currie 0-7f, Fergal Whitely, Conor Burke 0-3 each, Brian Hayes, Donal Burke, John Hetherton 0-1 each.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Seán O’Donoghue, Eoin Downey, Niall O’Leary; Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Tim O’Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Declan Dalton; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.
Subs: Robbie O’Flynn for Healy (50), Shane Kingston for Horgan (55), Tommy O’Connell for Downey (59), Conor Lehane for Barrett (63), Jack O’Connor for Dalton (67).
Dublin: Seán Brennan; Paddy Smyth, John Bellew, Andy Dunphy; Paddy Doyle, Conor Burke, Conor McHugh; Conor Donohoe, Brian Hayes; Riain McBride, Fergal Whitely, Cian O’Sullivan; Seán Currie, John Hetherton, Ronan Hayes.
Subs: David Lucey for Dunphy (14), Darragh Power for McHugh (21), Donal Burke for McBride (half-time), Diarmaid Ó Dúlaing for R Hayes (46), Conall Ó Riain for O’Sullivan (66).
Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
