Hat-trick for O’Mahony as Cork stroll past Tralee

Cork 4-14 Tralee IT 1-7

The home side fielded eight of the team which lost the All-Ireland semi-final to Kerry last year, but the gap in standards was still enormous and neither set of selectors could have learned much from this completely one sided affair.

For Cork Michael Prout at corner back made an excellent senior debut. He led the county to junior All-Ireland honours in 2005 and deserves another chance; Robert O'Mahony finished the game with 3-5, and missed a penalty into the bargain, but he will hardly get the same freedom against stronger opposition. Tralee could never come to grips with Cork's slick inter-passing play and once the gaps were created in defence, the scores flowed with monotonous regularity.

Killian Young, who was a county minor in 2005 did well at full back while Colin O'Sullivan in the corner held his end up well, but the unrelenting pressure proved too much for an overworked defence.

The 100 or so souls who braved the driving wind and rain got little to enthuse about as the home side, without ever getting out of second gear, led from start to finish. Three quick points in-a-row by James Masters inside the opening five minutes served notice that Cork were in determined mood and while the students hit back with two points in-a-row, there was an air of inevitability about the outcome once Cork began to string some great passing moves together which resulted in two goals in a minute.

The first came in the 20th minute when Robert O'Mahony atoned for an earlier penalty miss. The St. Finbarrs man also had a hand in his side's second goal a minute later when he set up wing back Sean Levis for the score which left Cork 2-10 to 0-2 to the good at the break.

The enormous gap in standards was obvious and despite substituting four players for the second half, Cork killed the game as a contest with a third goal, a second for O'Mahony a minute after the resumption, and it was very much a damage limitations exercise for the Tralee students from there on.

The introduction of Denis Crowley he was a Cork minor in 2005 and played a key role for CSN in winning their first Corn Ui Mhuiri title added a bit more punch to the Tralee attack but he lacked any real support and the game petered out to its inevitable conclusion, but not before O'Mahony completed his hat trick.

Crowley used his physical strength to win his side a penalty with a minute to go which Brian Scanlon converted off the butt of the upright, but it only served to put a more respectable look on the scoreboard.

Scorers for Cork: R. O'Mahony 3-5; J. Masters 0-5; S. Levis 1-0; E. Sexton, C. McCarthy, W. Morgan, S. O'Brien 0-1 each.

Tralee IT: S. Courtney 0-4; B. Scanlon 1-0; M. Evans 0-3.

CORK: A. Quirke; M. Prout, G. Canty, G. Murphy; E. Sexton, G. Spillane, S. Levis; N. Murphy, D. Hurley; A. Cronin, C. McCarthy, K. McMahon;

J. Masters, BG O'Sullivan, R. O'Mahony.

Subs. S. O'Brien for G. Murphy; W. Morgan for Masters; D. Duggan for N. Murphy; B. O'Regan for Sexton; A. O'Connor for McMahon.

TRALEE IT: G. Leeson; P. O'Sullivan, K. Young, C. O'Sullivan; E. Hickson, E. Lawlor, D. Doyle; J. Best, M. O'Mahony; M. Evans, S. O Se, K. O'Leary; S. Courtney, G. O'Driscoll, B. Scanlon.

Subs. N. O'Connor for Leeson; D. Crowley for Doyle; C. O'Driscoll for Lawlor; S. Moloney for O Se; L. O'Sullivan for Courtney.

Referee: B. Tyrell (Tipperary)

CORK play Tipperary in the quarter-final at Pairc Ui Rinn on Sunday (2pm).