The 2011 All-Ireland quarter-final was a turning point in Cork-Mayo history

Kerry had booked their place in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final, but Tomás Ó Sé was unimpressed.

On July 31, 2011, Jack O’Connor’s side recorded a facile 1-20 to 0-10 quarter-final win over Limerick at Croke Park. Interviewed on television afterwards, Ó Sé gave an honest assessment of the Kingdom’s performance, finishing with the warning that there would need to be a big improvement for the Cork game.

Kerry would go on to win their semi-final, but it wouldn’t be against Cork. While the counties had met in the All-Ireland series in six years in the previous decade, the expected last-four match-up didn’t happen in 2011 and meetings between the pair had been limited to the Munster championship until the round-robin game a fortnight ago.

Cork – the reigning All-Ireland champions – took the field in the immediate aftermath of the Kerry game, with Mayo their opponents. Despite the fact that Conor Counihan’s side had lost key forwards Ciarán Sheehan, Colm O’Neill and Daniel Goulding in a short space of time, they were still the favourites for the game, rated as 1/5 shots with the bookmakers.

Part of that was probably due to the recent history between the counties. While Mayo had recorded a comprehensive victory over Cork in the 1916 All-Ireland semi-final replay, the counties wouldn’t lock horns again until 1989 final.

Cork, steeled by defeats to Meath in the previous two years, got over the line that day and further victories followed in the semi-finals of 1993 and 1999. Prior to 2011, their most recent meeting was the All-Ireland quarter-final of 2002, a 0-16 to 1-10 win for Cork on a day when Colin Corkery had to contend with the boos of Dublin fans who were in early for the quarter-final with Donegal.

Mayo had reached the All-Ireland finals of 2004 and 2006, losing to Kerry on both occasions, but fortunes dipped after that. They had exited the 2010 championship with a first-round qualifier defeat to Longford but, while new manager James Horan had guided them to the Connacht title in his first year, Cork were seen as a test beyond them.

The low levels of Mayo belief can be demonstrated by the fact that the double-header only drew 22,732 people to Croke Park. The previous night, Donegal had edged past Kildare before a crowd of 39,612 while the following week would see 52,661 present for Dublin’s victory over Tyrone.

And, given how Cork started, the lack of fanfare seemed understandable. Donncha O’Connor was fouled for an early penalty and he slotted the ball to the net. Points from him, Fintan Goold – forced into left-footed free-taking duties – and Paul Kerrigan pushed them further ahead and a great move involving Goold, Pearse O’Neill, Paudie Kissane and Alan O’Connor ended with Kerrigan’s shot whistling just over. It made it 1-4 to 0-1 and Cork were cruising.

However, Mayo responded and closed the gap before Kevin McLoughlin’s goal had them just a point behind. Cork didn’t panic though and Fiachra Lynch’s pass allowed Kerrigan to fist home a second goal for a 2-4 to 1-3 advantage. Amazingly, the Rebels were to score just two more points in the 46 minutes of football that remained.

Retaining belief, Mayo kicked three of the last four points of the first half, an O’Connor free Cork’s sole response as they retired with a 2-5 to 1-6 lead.

Within five minutes of the second half, Enda Varley and goalkeeper Robert Hennelly – with a 45 – had Mayo level before captain Alan Dillon put them ahead for the first time. It took until the 53rd minute for Cork to open their account in the second period as John Miskella levelled but the momentum had irrevocably turned against the champions.

Aidan O’Shea was dominant around the middle while Keith Higgins led a defence that had become impenetrable. The westerners grew in confidence with every score and two late points from Cillian O’Connor brought his tally to six points, securing a 1-13 to 2-6 victory.

While Mayo would fall to Kerry in the semis, it set in train a run where they would go on to reach six All-Ireland finals in ten years. That period would encompass a quarter-final victory over Cork in 2014 and an extra-time qualifier victory in 2017.

It means that it is now 21 years since Cork have beaten Mayo in the championship. They will be the underdogs in Limerick on Sunday, as Mayo were in 2011 – perhaps a similar swing in fortunes can be effected.