logo
Ruthless Cork march forward, Dublin's nightmare start, Connolly-Hayes double act

Ruthless Cork march forward, Dublin's nightmare start, Connolly-Hayes double act

The 422 days ago
1. Ruthless Cork march into All-Ireland final
Unlike twelve months ago, an absorbingly tense encounter as Limerick fought desperately to peg them back, this was a more serene All-Ireland semi-final experience for Cork. Pat Ryan steeled his team for a ferocious test from the side that had ousted Limerick, but instead they proved vastly superior. A 13-point interval lead and a 20-point margin at the final whistle, was reflective of the authoritty they exerted.
Cork's blistering start, firing home three goals inside the opening 14 minutes, set the tone. That succession of strikes placed them firmly in the ascendancy and crucially unlike some of their previous championship ties, Cork's full-throttle style did not dip in the second half. They outscored Dublin 2-9 to 0-4 in the final quarter to round off a truly dominant and ruthless showing.
******
2. Dublin's nightmare start
When Dublin plotted in advance of this game, they knew a solid start was crucial to their hopes of repeating their stunning upset of Limerick last time out. It was imperative to remain in the scoreboard hunt early on, but instead after keeping a clean sheet in their last three championship ties, Dublin leaked three goals inside the 14 minutes.
That set the tone for their defensive struggles. Dublin were hampered beforehand with Chris Crummey ruled out through suspension, the early yellow card Andrew Dunphy received prompted his withdrawal 14 minutes in, and then Conor McHugh limped off through injury on the 21st minute mark.
Advertisement
With half of their regular starting rearguard unavailable, the rest of the match was a daunting prospect for Dublin as they moved into damage limitation mode after a nightmare opening.
*****
3. Connolly-Hayes goalscoring act
Cork rediscovered their goalscoring touch at an opportune time. As the league wound down this year and the championship commenced, Cork were in bilstering form in front of goal. They raised 19 green flags across five games up to their home meeting with Tipperary. That dazzling rate dropped back with four goals across their last three games in Munster, but the seven shots they crashed home today was proof of a team hitting full speed again in attack.
Central to their brilliance at the penultimate Croke Park hurdle was the Alan Connolly-Brian Hayes double act. Prior to today they had hit four goals between them in this year's championship, Dublin's defence were taken for five goals by the irrepressible duo. The blend of power, poise and clinical finishing saw Connolly grab a hat-trick, his first since the clash with Tipperary last summer, and Hayes fire home a brace. Their interplay with full-forward colleague Patrick Horgan was eye-catching, as Cork's goalscoring mood underpinned their comfortable triumph.
*****
4. Key Cork components hit form
Cork's form has been patchy at times this season, highs like the opening half against Clare and Tipperary, lows like their crushing defeat to Limerick and an anxious display against Waterford. This dismissal of Dublin was their most complete showing and it was backboned by some key components hitting strong form.
Tim O'Mahony must have pushed hard for man-of-the-match, a forceful presence at midfield through and galloping forward for two goals. Their attack will claim plenty plaudits but Mark Coleman maintained the high standards of his Munster final form and Sean O'Donoghue was terrific closer to goal with a series of key defensive interventions.
Cork utitlised the four-week break to nurse players back to full health and it showed. Rob Downey was commanding at centre-back, Niall O'Leary tight and tenacious in the corner, while Declan Dalton thrived in attack as he weighed in with five points.
******
5. Dublin's year ends on low note
After producing the most sensational result for years in the hurling championship, Dublin followed it up with a day of sobering experiences. Dublin teams have in the past flatlined the next day out in the wake of an exhilirating victory, this was more a case of being outclassed when they collided with a superior outfit. Their defensive issues were glaring, although the steady supply of ball to the Cork attack made the pressure unbearable.
Brian Hayes and Conor Burke showed the leadership to keep going around the middle, Fergal Whitely was a bright spark in the first half, and Cian O'Sullivan can reflect on an excellent season as he maintained his form to fire 2-5 from play.
But the 20-point reversal is a low note on which to end the season as the wait for that coveted All-Ireland final place goes on. Niall Ó Ceallacháin has seen joy with Na Fianna in Croke Park this year and dumped Limerick out in remarkable fashion with Dublin, yet this game was a reminder of the scope for improvement that remains.
******
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Dublin captain Seán Doherty dies
Former Dublin captain Seán Doherty dies

RTÉ News​

time2 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Former Dublin captain Seán Doherty dies

Seán Doherty, who captained Dublin to All-Ireland SFC glory in 1974, has died. Born in Wicklow in 1946, Doherty played his club football with Ballyboden Wanderers, Ballyboden St Enda's, and St Anne's, and led Wanderers to a Dublin Junior Football Championship in 1968. However, the classy full-back will be best remembered in football circles for ending an 11-year drought in the capital when hoisting Sam Maguire aloft after the Metropolitans defeated Galway on a 0-14 to 1-06 scoreline at Croke Park in 1974. An All-Star that same year, Doherty won five Leinster titles and two National Football Leagues as a player and went on to land further All-Ireland SFC titles with Dublin in 1976 and 1977. Dublin's loss to Kerry in the 1978 final was his final appearance in sky blue, although he remained inextricably linked to football in the county and served as a joint-manager of the senior team in 1989 alongside Gerry McCaul and Tony Hempenstall.

Roy Keane review: Chants of 'Keano' greet homecoming hero at the Marquee in Cork
Roy Keane review: Chants of 'Keano' greet homecoming hero at the Marquee in Cork

Irish Examiner

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Roy Keane review: Chants of 'Keano' greet homecoming hero at the Marquee in Cork

The roar that greeted Roy Keane in Cork on Monday night surely echoed through the streets of Mayfield across the river, where he grew up in the city's northside. The journey to the Marina saw sporting heroes like Olympic gold medalist Kellie Harrington mingling among a sea of jerseys — Ireland, Man United, Celtic among them — but this was no soccer match. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Take us with you this summer. Annual €130€65 Best value Monthly €12€6 / month

Kerry duo ruled out of All-Ireland semi-final
Kerry duo ruled out of All-Ireland semi-final

The 42

time3 hours ago

  • The 42

Kerry duo ruled out of All-Ireland semi-final

KERRY DUO Tom O'Sullivan and Diarmuid O'Connor have been ruled out of Saturday's All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Tyrone. Speaking to The Kerryman, manager Jack O'Connor revealed that an ongoing shoulder problem, which was initially picked up in the preliminary quarter-final win over Cavan, would prevent his namesake from competing in the upcoming game. Advertisement O'Sullivan has also failed to recover in time from a calf muscle injury, which meant he had to depart the action early in the quarter-final victory against Armagh. Barry Dan O'Sullivan is also unavailable after suffering a season-ending ACL injury in the Group 2 defeat of Cork. There are doubts over the fitness of a couple of other players, including Paul Geaney, Tadhg Morley, Mike Breen and Tony Brosnan. O'Connor said a decision on whether they will be involved in the Tyrone game will be reached later in the week.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store