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