O'Sullivan point wins title for Cork

Cork 0-13 Kerry 0-12

It climaxed in a storming recovery from an excellently-prepared side over the last quarter after Kerry had opened up a four-point gap, but missed a few chances which were to prove crucial.

And, Kerry were even denied the chance of a levelling score when, three and a half-minutes into injury time, team captain Brian Sheehan had his '45 snatched from under the crossbar by midfielder Seamus O'Sullivan. With that, the final whistle sounded and delirious Cork supporters rejoiced in a win which had looked more than possible at half-time but far from certain when Kerry took control in the third quarter.

Cork put in a highly competitive first-half which was all the more to their credit considering that Kerry (missing the injured Colm Cooper) looked the stronger side at the start.

They moved the ball about smartly and showed promise with three points inside five minutes, the first coming from a 55-yard free from Sheehan. A minute later Cian O'Riordan kicked Cork's opening point from a free and, while initially it looked like a token score, they settled down to play strong, attacking football which put the home side under fairly constant pressure. At their best they played a brand of football superior to what Cork seniors had displayed in Killarney.

The sides were level for the first of four times in the 12th minute, which offered considerable encouragement to the Cork players and their management, all the more so since they were playing against a reasonably strong wind. Paddy Nealon at centre-back was one of several players to show up well in defence, a situation noteworthy for the reason that he was marking Kerry senior Declan O'Sullivan.

At midfield Kerry's other first-choice senior, Paddy Kelly, wasn't having things his own way against David Coughlan, who won some very good ball in the air. While Donncha Walsh and Seamie Foley did well at stages in the Kerry half-forward line, Cork gained more from their half-forwards, from John Hayes in particular on the left flank, who was to finish with three points. Kevin O'Sullivan, too, played an important role, not only as a very effective free-taker, but also in general play. He had Cork in the lead for the first time in the 25th minute (from play) before Declan O'Sullivan (Lispole) levelled the scores for the fourth time. In injury time, Cian O'Riordan had Cork ahead, 0-7 to 0-6, from a close-in free.

The teams swapped scores inside the opening four minutes of the second half, before Kerry gained a definite grip. First, they took over at midfield, where Kieran Donaghy played his best football. They also tightened up in defence, with Brendan O'Mahony very much in control at full-back and, along with Paddy Kelly settling down to play an influential role, fellow senior Declan O'Sullivan was much more involved.

After Sheehan restored Kerry's lead in the 36th minute from play, he put over a 50-yard free and Kelly obliged with a score in the 45th minute.

However, he was to miss two further chances of scores, at a time when it didn't seem to matter that much.With wing-back Noel O'Riordan sparking Cork's comeback with a 48th minute score, the introduction of Kieran Murphy and David Burns boosted the attack. Burns promised a goal until corner-back Fergal Griffin stuck out his foot to divert his shot outside the post. But O'Sullivan put over the '45 and, when Rob Long scored a minute and a half from the end of normal time, Cork were dominating the play after getting back into contention at midfield and making a lot of progress at half-forward. Kieran Murphy, too, might have had a goal when the ball landed at his feet, but Padraig Sheehan won possession to clear. However, Cork's constant pressure yielded an equaliser from John Hayes and, the winner from the influential O'Sullivan

Scorers: Cork: K. O'Sullivan 0-6 (0-3 frees, 0-1 '45); J. Hayes 0-3; C. O'Riordan 0-2 frees; N. O'Riordan and R. Long 0-1 each. Kerry: B. Sheehan 0-5 (0-4 frees); D. O'Sullivan (Lispole) 0-3; S. Foley 0-2; P. Kelly and D. Kelliher 0-1 each.

CORK: K. Murphy; M. Prout, D. O'Donovan (capt.), B. Crowley; N. O'Riordan, P. Nealon, E. O'Connor; S. O'Sullivan, D. Coughlan; C. O'Riordan, P. Kelly, J. Hayes; R. Long, T. Twomey, K. O'Sullivan.

Subs: K. Murphy for Twomey (42nd minute); D. Burns for Kelly (50th); A. O'Connor for Coughlan (57th).

KERRY: D. Dineen; A. O'Connell, B. O'Mahony , F. Griffin; P. Sheehan, R. O Flatharta, J. Coffey; J. Donaghy, P. Kelly; D. Walsh, D. O'Sullivan (Dromid Pearses), S. Foley; D. O'Sullivan (Lispole), B. Sheehan (capt.), D. Doona. Subs: J. McGillicuddy for Coffey and S. O'Neill for O'Connell (second half); D. Kelliher for Doona (46th); A. O'Connor for Walsh (51st).

Referee: M. Ryan (Limerick).

*Attendance: 4,150.