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.