Dublin v Cork recap from All-Ireland Hurling semi-final
Report from Croke Park
Cork 7-26 Dublin 2-21
The last time a Corkman came to Dublin and landed a knockout blow like this was when Roy Keane took out Marc Overmars.
That was the infamous 2001 World Cup qualifier between Ireland and the Netherlands when Keane's early-doors tackle turned winger Overmars into the flying Dutchman.
On Saturday evening, it was hat-trick hero Alan Connolly and his relentless Rebels who took flight.
An All-Ireland final against the winners of Sunday's clash between Kilkenny and Tipp awaits. Neither team stands a chance.
Not if Cork play like this. Not if Hayes, Horgan and Connolly are on the field. And certainly not if they face a side who abandon the idea of defending.
Because that was what Dublin did on Saturday.
(Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie)
In the end they coughed up seven goals; there could have been more.
For Cork, three-goal Connolly was their biggest hero but not their only one. Brian Hayes finished the game raising two green flags; Pat Horgan raising concern for Tipp and Kilkenny defenders with his deadly accuracy while at centre back, Robert Downey was imperious.
Why stop there because Cork never stopped? Eoin Downey shored things up at full back, which was vital as Niall O'Leary was having serious issues with Cian O'Sullivan, who had chalked up 1-3 by half-time.
But by this stage the game was as good as over.
And that came down to two things.
First, there was the way Cork manipulated the structure of their side to create a huge amount of space in front of the Dublin half-back line.
And from there, Cork were razor sharp with their finishing. Hayes and Connolly's touch was exceptional, Cork's overall skill levels off the charts.
Then there were the goals - Cork getting three within the opening 13 minutes, four by half-time, seven by the end.
Hayes got the first, tidily stroking the ball past Sean Brennan, the Dubs keeper, to put the Rebels three points clear.
(Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon)
That came when there were just four minutes on the clock and before we could draw breath, the Dubs had conceded two more, had subbed two of their starters and were staring down the barrel of defeat.
Yet, despite that bitter reality, they didn't play terribly.
In fact some of their performers excelled, notably O'Sullivan and Sean Currie, scorers of 1-6 between them in the first half alone.
Plus, there were the events that conspired against them, Conor McHugh going off midway through the first-half with an injury, Fergal Whitely hitting the crossbar when his effort deserved a goal, Dublin failing to add to a run of form that saw them notch five of the seven points scored between the 19th and 30th minutes.
But the bottom line remained that whenever Cork needed a score, they went and got one, Connolly getting their second goal on 11 minutes, after brilliant approach play by Hayes.
And then came the third - Hayes again the provider, Connolly again the scorer, this goal straight out of Roger Federer's playbook, as he smashed it, tennis style past Brennan.
Game, set and match?
Not yet.
The Dubs fought back, staying in the fight via O'Sullivan's 15th minute goal, created by Currie.
Then came their purple patch between the 20th and 30th minutes which cut the gap to five.
(Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/James Crombie)
And just when we thought it was safe to say there was a game going on, Cork stretched their lead yet again, Hayes getting his second goal, three minutes before the break, Horgan and Connolly flicking the ball delicately in his direction, the corner forward doing the rest.
Ten ahead at half-time, they were never going to be caught.
And so it proved.
After 41 minutes there was a fifth Cork goal, when Horgan set up Tim O'Mahony whose finish made it 5-16 to 1-13 - a 15-point gap.
A brief Dublin resurgence followed but that was bluntly interrupted on 50 minutes when Tim O'Mahony got his goal - yet another one-hander straight out of centre court.
And finally seven minutes from time came the hat-trick for the sensational Connolly who got on the end of Robbie O'Flynn's run and pass.
The sub could have finished it off himself.
But he - and every other member of the 83,000 crowd - knew this was going to be Connolly's day. He, and Cork, march on.
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