Cork footballers back in Munster final after coming good to see off Tipperary
Chris Óg Jones of Cork celebrates after scoring a goal against Tipperary. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Cork are back in the Munster SFC final for the first time since 2021 after recovering from a sluggish first half to defeat Tipperary by 15 points at a sun-kissed FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles on Saturday afternoon.
The Rebels will now face old rivals Kerry in the decider in two weeks in Killarney after what was ultimately a mixed but effective performance against the Premier County.
John Cleary’s side were slow out of the traps, trailing by four points before registering their first score after 17 minutes. It was a poor opening half from Cork, marked by wayward shooting and too many lateral passes, though they still managed to lead 1-5 to 1-4 at the interval.
An improved display on the restart proved decisive. The bench made a strong impact as Cork showed the composure and quality required to pull clear and win comfortably, though they will know a sharper performance will be needed against the Kingdom.
In front of 1,755 spectators, the game began as a slow burner despite the perfect conditions. Cork kicked three wides before Tipperary’s main man Seán O’Connor opened the scoring after seven minutes. Four minutes later, O’Connor struck for goal, finishing expertly to the bottom corner after Cork failed to deal with a long delivery.
It was a flat start from the Rebels, but after five wides, Steven Sherlock finally got them off the mark with an excellent point. That was quickly followed by scores from Chris Óg Jones and Luke Fahy as Cork began to settle, helped by improved ball-winning around the middle.
Jones then raised a green flag after 21 minutes following a clever pass from Mark Cronin, making it 1-3 to 1-1, though Cork couldn’t push on at this juncture. A Micheál Freaney two-pointer levelled matters before a routine Sherlock free nudged Cork back in front.
The sides traded points in the closing stages of a low-scoring first half, with Sherlock clipping over a neat score just before the hooter to give Cork a slender 1-5 to 1-4 advantage.
Tipperary levelled two minutes into the second half through Eoin Craddock. The teams exchanged points again, with substitute Brian Hurley on target for Cork to leave it 1-6 apiece after 43 minutes.
The game remained deadlocked entering the final 22 minutes before a Hurley two-pointer pushed Cork 1-9 to 1-7 ahead. It gave the Rebels a lift, and they never looked back. A Sherlock free and a point from substitute Ruairí Deane settled them further.
Cork led 1-14 to 1-7 after 54 minutes, helped by a Sherlock orange flag, as Cleary’s charges took firm control. The excellent Fahy extended the lead again before an O’Connor free kept Tipp just about in touch.
Colm O’Callaghan, who didn’t start due to a minor knock, effectively sealed the result with a cracking goal after a driving run on 57 minutes, pushing Cork 2-15 to 1-8 ahead.
Cork then hit 1-2 without reply, with Jones netting his second goal after a pass from substitute Conor Corbett, making it 3-17 to 1-8 with eight minutes left.
The sides swapped points before sub Seán Brady produced a superb block to deny Tipperary a second goal. Cork broke upfield from the resulting play, and Corbett — lively throughout his cameo — billowed the net.
Tipperary finished with the last three scores, including a two-pointer from O'Connor, but Cork had long since completed their job. They are back in the Munster final.
Scorers for Cork: C Óg Jones 2-2, S Sherlock 0-7 (1 2pt, 0-3 f), L Fahy, B Hurley (1 2pt) 0-3 each, C O’Callaghan, C Corbett 1-0 each, M Cronin, B O’Driscoll, R Deane 0-1 each.
Tipperary: S O’Connor 1-6 (1 2pt, 0-1 f), M Freaney 0-2 (1 2pt), C Smith (f), K Butler, D Hogan, E Craddock 0-1 each.
CORK: MA Martin; M Shanley, D O’Mahony, S Meehan; B O’Driscoll, T Walsh, L Fahy; S Walsh, I Maguire (c); P Walsh, C Cahalane, S McDonnell; M Cronin, C Óg Jones, S Sherlock.
Subs: B Hurley for S McDonnell, R Deane for C Cahalane (both h-t), C O’Callaghan for S Walsh (47), C Corbett for B Hurley (55, inj), S Brady for S Meehan (60).
TIPPERARY: S Garland; J O’Neill, E O’Connell, M Corcoran; K Costello, J Morris, C King; J Higgins, P Feehan (c); E Craddock, M Freaney, E Moloney; C Smith, S O’Connor, D Hogan.
Subs: K Butler for E Craddock (51), P Creedon for C Smith (52), P O’Keeffe for E Moloney, M Stokes for P Feehan (both 55), M Lowry for J Morris (62).
Referee: Fergal Kelly (Longford).
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