Cork power away from Tipp in final quarter

GAA: Munster Senior Football Championship Semi-Final

Cork 4-2-14 (30)

Tipperary 1-2-8 (15)

Report: Stephen Barry

at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Luke Fahy (Cork)

SCORERS – Cork: Chris Óg Jones 2-2; Steven Sherlock 0-7 (1x2play, 0-3 frees); Colm O’Callaghan, Conor Corbett 1-0 each; Luke Fahy, Brian Hurley (1x2play) 0-3 each; Brian O’Driscoll, Mark Cronin, Ruairí Deane 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Seán O’Connor 1-6 (1x2play, 0-1 free); Micheál Freaney 0-2 (2play); Eoin Craddock, Cian Smith (free), Daithí Hogan, Killian Butler 0-1 each.

Tipperary’s Tailteann Cup status was confirmed after trading blows with Cork for long spells of a 15-point Munster semi-final defeat on Saturday.

It was tied at 1-7 apiece as late as the 49th minute, but the Rebels blitzed their tiring hosts for 3-11 to 0-2 from there to the 67th minute. Chris Óg Jones ended on 2-2, while substitutes Colm O’Callaghan and Conor Corbett scored and assisted goals.

Seán O’Connor, whose 1-6 total included 1-5 from play, and Joe Higgins, who claimed seven kick-out marks, led the way for Tipp.

Playing with the slight advantage of a cross-field wind, the Premier got off to the ideal start. O’Connor escaped to point off his left after seven minutes. Then, in the eleventh minute, Micheál Freaney’s speculative sideline punt bounced over Maurice Shanley and ran through for the full-forward to tuck away. 1-1 to no score.

The youthful home full-back line started well on their more experienced opponents, applying plenty of pressure as Cork booted their first five shots wide.

Daniel O’Mahony produced diving blocks on O’Connor and Daithí Hogan to prevent Cork from falling further behind. But once they got a press on the Tipp kick-out, that yielded three points in two minutes. Their first, from Steven Sherlock in the 17th minute, was immediately followed over by Jones and Luke Fahy.

Cork made it 1-3 in four minutes when Paudie Feehan’s pass to Hogan came off the unsighted attacker’s back. The visitors countered with Mark Cronin teeing up Jones for the lead goal.

A superb James Morris turnover to prevent a goal chance was ferried up field for Freaney’s levelling two-pointer; 1-3 apiece.

A Sherlock free was cancelled out by O’Connor, after a soaring Higgins take. Another point from the Barrs man sent the Rebels in 1-5 to 1-4 ahead at half-time.

They continued to trade points into the second half. Craddock, a Cian Smith free, and O’Connor took it in turns to bring Tipp level after points from half-time substitute Brian Hurley and Cronin.

The hosts had to live on their nerves as Shane Garland beat Brian O’Driscoll to a ball squared across goal before Jones blazed wide.

But with O’Callaghan just onto the field, Tipp didn’t get their hands on the ball again until Cork had reeled off eight points without reply from seven shots. It began with a Hurley two-pointer and ended with a Sherlock orange flag sandwiched by a Fahy brace.

After an O’Connor free, won by Hogan, Cork hit for home with O’Callaghan drilling low to the net in the 57th minute. That sparked a 2-2 burst, with another substitute, Corbett, intercepting a Garland kick-out for Jones to finish.

Following Higgins’ seventh mark, Killian Butler had a point confirmed by a HawkEye review. Freaney was denied a goal by Seán Brady’s block and Cork countered for their fourth green flag in the 67th minute, finished off by Corbett.

Sherlock then smacked the woodwork as Tipp finished with the last three points, including one from Hogan and an O’Connor orange flag.

TEAMS – Cork: Micheál Aodh Martin; Maurice Shanley, Daniel O’Mahony, Seán Meehan; Brian O’Driscoll, Tommy Walsh, Luke Fahy; Seán Walsh, Ian Maguire; Paul Walsh, Seán McDonnell, Conor Cahalane; Mark Cronin, Chris Óg Jones, Steven Sherlock.

Subs: Brian Hurley for McDonnell (HT); Ruairí Deane for Cahalane (HT); Colm O’Callaghan for S Walsh (48); Conor Corbett for Hurley (56 inj); Seán Brady for Meehan (61).

Tipperary: Shane Garland (Kilsheelan/Kilcash); Eoin O’Connell (Loughmore/Castleiney), Mark Corcoran (Clonmel Commercials), Jack O’Neill (Ardfinnan); Emmet Moloney (Portlaoise), James Morris (Clonmel Commercials), Charlie King (Ballina); Joe Higgins (Clonmel Commercials), Paudie Feehan (Killenaule, Capt); Eoin Craddock (Holycross/Ballycahill), Micheál Freaney (Kilsheelan/Kilcash), Kieran Costello (Thurles Sarsfields); Cian Smith (Clonmel Commercials), Seán O’Connor (Clonmel Commercials), Daithí Hogan (St Patrick’s).

Subs: Killian Butler (Moyle Rovers) for Craddock (51); Paddy Creedon (Thurles Sarsfields) for Smith (52); Paddy O’Keeffe (Moyle Rovers) for Moloney (56); Mark Russell (Aherlow) for Feehan (56); Micheál Lowry (Arravale Rovers) for Morris (62).

Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).

Attendance: 1,755.

Full report and analysis in the Nenagh Guardian on Wednesday.