Classy Cork pound woeful Wexford to remain in race

Wexford 0-7 Cork 0-19

Even the 12-point winning margin doesn’t reflect the extent of the All-Ireland champions’ dominance over the 70 minutes. With victory vital to remain in league title contention, Cork took the game by the scruff of the neck, played a brand of hurling that Wexford couldn’t remotely match and were overwhelmed by the splendour of the winners’ performance.

Delighted coach John Allen couldn’t conceal his satisfaction: “There was a championship element to the game as far as we were concerned, knowing that only a win would keep our league hopes alive”, he said. “The lads delivered, and they delivered in some style too”.

Cork laid down an immediate marker despite playing into the teeth of the elements. Their superb defence, built around a commanding Diarmuid O’Sullivan at full-back, and an impregnable half back line, had the inept Wexford attack struggling from the outset.

Midfield too was a troubled area for the home side with Sean Óg Ó hAilpín, who was drafted in at the 11th hour for the absent Timmy McCarthy, a totally dominant figure alongside the industrious Tom Kenny.

The versatility of Ó hAilpín was seen to telling effect as he rampaged all over the field.

While the Cork attack failed to raise a green flag, the sector were a threat all through and Neil Ronan and Brian Corcoran made a major impact.

Like O hAilpín, Ronan was another late call-up at corner forward, but not for the first time, the Ballyhea clubman proved just how effective he can be. His impressive tally of ten points, half of them from play, capped a really top class individual performance.

Beside him Brian Corcoran was equally lethal, four great points a measure of his performance.

Ronan posted the way for Cork with a pointed free inside a minute and another from play 30 seconds later.

All the while the wasteful Wexford forwards were piling up the wides, seven of them in 13 minutes. Ronan had a third point before goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry came to Wexford’s rescue with a blinding save from Tom Kenny in the 21st minute.

A minute later, Rory Jacob finally got the home side off the mark from a free and when Des Mythen and Eoin Quigley rifled over long range efforts to draw their side level.

They had a fine goal chance squandered by Darren Stamp in the 31st minute, but Cork finished the half in the same dominant vein they started it and weren’t flattered by their 0-6 to 0-4 interval lead.

With the elements backing them on the turnover, Cork were firmly in the driving seat and they wasted no time at all in putting the opposition to the sword. Niall McCarthy (2) and Ronan found the range inside three minutes, and 60 seconds later Corcoran soared high to pluck Wayne Sherlock’s lengthy delivery out of the air and almost in the same movement rifled over the sweetest of points.

Even better was to come from half-time substitute Cathal Naughton. In the 45th minute when he picked up a ball deep inside his own half and then landed the score of the game from more than 100 metres.

Wexford’s opening point of the half came from Diarmuid Lyng in the 47th minute and while Declan Ruth accurately pointed two 65s in as many minutes the game was by now long past saving from a Wexford perspective.

Not for the first time, Fitzhenry came to Wexford’s rescue with another super save from Naughton in the 66th minute, and despite the tireless efforts of Doc O’Connor and Darragh Ryan in a now beleaguered Wexford defence there was no stopping the Cork tidal wave.

Ó hAilpín and defender Ronan Curran even got into the scoring act before Corcoran brought the curtain down on the most emphatic of Cork victories with a point of pure genius.

Scorers: Cork: N. Ronan (0-10, 0-5 frees); B. Corcoran (0-4); N. McCarthy (0-2); C. Naughton, S. Og O hAilpin, R. Curran(0-1) each. scorers; D. Ruth (0-2, 65s); D. Mythen, R. Jacob (free), E. Quigley, D. Stamp, D. Lyng(0-1) each.

CORK: D. Og Cusack; W. Sherlock. D. O’Sullivan. B. Murphy; R. Curran. J. Gardiner. C. O’Connor; T. Kenny. S. Og O hAilpin; K. Murphy (Erins Own). C. McGann. N. McCarthy; N. Ronan. B. Corcoran. K. Murphy (Sarsfields).

Subs: C. Naughton for K. Murphy (Erins Own, half time; P. Mulcahy for McGann (55 mins); S. O’Neill for K. Murphy (Sarsfields, 63 mins).

WEXFORD: D. Fitzhenry; D. O’Connor. D. Ryan. K. Rossiter; M. Travers. D. Ruth. C. Kenny; D. Stamp. D. Lyng; S. Doyle. E. Quigley. M. Jacob; D. Mythen. M. J. Furlong. R. Jacob;

Subs: P. Carley for M. Jacob (50 mins); S. O’Neill for Furlong (50 mins); P. Roche for Travers (58 mins); B. Lambert for Lyng (63 mins).

Referee: A. Mac Suibhne (Dublin).