Cork footballers push Kerry hard but fall short in Killarney
Paul Walsh of Cork is tackled by Joe O'Connor of Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
DEFEAT for Cork as they lost out to Kerry in the Munster senior football championship at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Kerry were hot favourites to win and they just about did, as the wait goes on for a Cork win in the Kingdom, the last coming in 1995.
However, it wasn’t without a massive scare from the Rebels who played some superb football and can consider themselves unlucky to come out on the wrong side of the result.
They started superbly and for most of the first half, they were the better side, driven on by the likes of Tommy Walsh, Brian O’Driscoll and Sean Powter.
Cork took the lead in the second minute when Corbett pointed. A mishit 45 from Brian Hurley was picked up by Sean Powter and he put Corbett in. The full forward could have gone for goal but opted to take the point.
Two minutes later and Cork found the back of the net, when Paul Walsh had the simple task of tapping home, after some good work by Ian Maguire and Brian O’Driscoll, with the former playing him in.
Sean O’Shea got Kerry off the mark from a free, before Paudie Clifford blazed wide from in front of goal, a sight you don’t see too often.
Dara Moynihan, Cillian Burke and Tom O’Sullivan all added points as by the 10th minute Kerry were back on level terms, 1-1 to 0-4.
A free from Hurley put the Rebels back in front before he added another from play to increase their lead.
Hurley made it three in a row to make it a three-point game, before David Clifford made it 1-4 to 0-5.
Chris Óg Jones burst past the Kerry defence to raise a white flag. Another Hurley free had four between the sides, before a magnificent point from a free near the sideline by O’Shea.
Matty Taylor and O’Shea exchanged points before a Cork pass was intercepted and David Clifford split the posts to make it 1-7 to 0-8 with 30 minutes gone.
Clifford hit another from a free just before half time as the Rebels led by one, 1-7 to 0-9.
Another free from Hurley stretched Cork’s lead at the start of the second half but that was as good as it got. Dara Moynihan put a point between the sides and with 43 minutes played the Kingdom were back level when O’Shea scored, 0-11 to 1-8. Hurled pointed another free, with O’Sullivan replying.
With 50 minutes gone, Kerry went in front for the first time when David Clifford raised a white flag, 0-13 to 1-9. Graham O’Sullivan increased Kerry’s lead before Hurley hit back for Cork to keep the bare minimum between the sides.
O’Shea put two between the sides again, before Corbett replied following a mark. A third from O’Sullivan put Kerry two to the good again as they were now starting to dominate play.
O’Shea hit another from a free in injury time as Kerry came out on top, despite the best efforts of the Rebels.
S O’Shea 0-6 (0-3 f), T O’Sullivan 0-3, D Clifford 0-4 (0-1 f), D Moynihan 0-2, C Burke, G O’Sullivan, P Geaney 0-1 each.
B Hurley 0-8 (0-4 f), P Walsh 1-0, C Corbett 0-2 (0-1 mark), C Óg Jones, M Taylor 0-1 each.
S Ryan; P Murphy, T Morley, T O’Sullivan; G O’Sullivan, G White, S O’Brien; D O’Connor, J O’Connor; A Spillane, P Clifford, C Burke; D Clifford, S O’Shea, D Moynihan.
P Geaney for C Burke (h-t), S O’Brien for A Spillane (47), M Breen for S O’Brien (61), T Brosnan for D Moynihan (64), B D O’Sullivan for J O’Connor (70).
C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, M Shanley; L Fahy, T Walsh, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; C Óg Jones, C Corbett, B Hurley.
S Meehan for M Shanley (35 inj), R Deane for S Powter (45), S Sherlock for C Óg Jones (53), M Cronin for P Walsh (57), K O’Donovan for T Walsh (60 inj).
Noel Mooney (Cavan).
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