Cork tame Monaghan and end drop fears

CORK blew hot and cold under the lights at chilly Páirc Ui Rinn on Saturday but were still more than good enough to claim two Allianz NFL Division Two points and end Monaghan’s unbeaten League run.

No question Cork boss Conor Counihan was happy to put last week’s disappointing defeat by Cavan into the shadows and put paid to relegation worries. And, if there was any tinge of dissatisfaction with Cork’s topsy-turvy display, he wasn’t showing it.

“The Cavan game was a setback but this is league football,” Counihan said after the match. “June or July is the time to find out where we are at. We played well for the most part tonight. It was a good team performance, but we are going to have to push on now and put teams away when we are ahead.

“We were sloppy at times, particularly in the opening half when we outplayed them and still trailed at the break. But the lads responded well to our half-time talk and showed what they can do. We faded near the end but Monaghan are well ahead of us in the fitness stakes. We’re safe now and we’ll press on from here.”

Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney was upbeat and gracious in defeat. “We have no excuses, we were beaten by a better side tonight. Cork are a big team, we made a lot of mistakes and paid for them. We started our season with one aim — to stay in this division. Now we are aiming higher.

“This is a blow, but we’ll prepare hard and be ready for Westmeath in our final match in Clones. We are setting our sights high, we can do well in this league and we’ll be going all out to qualify.”

In a game of scoring bursts, Cork opened brightly with a point from Donncha O’Connor, after Kevin McMahon had brushed past Damien Freeman. But they failed to score again for another 15 minutes as a marauding and menacing Monaghan side hit them hard.

Tomas Freeman, their main man up front, took a point, then Rory Woods, after Vincent Corey had made life very uncomfortable for Graham Canty. Freeman then got their third with a free and when Paul Finlay got a fourth from play Cork were in trouble with Dick Clerkin outstanding around the middle of the park.

But a second point from O’Connor- this time a free after super work by Paudie Kissane — settled Cork. After kicking five bad wides in the opening 15 minutes, Cork finally got into gear and a point from the excellent Fintan Goold, after a raid started by Kieran O’Connor on his own line, left just a point between the sides.

Cork were better now, moving the ball quicker only for sloppy passing to ruin terrific raids. Still it got better when points from Daniel Goulding and Goold again put the Rebels clear by the 26th minute.

But they were made to pay for their wasteful use of possession and wayward shooting long balls into big full-forward Michael Cussen proving a disaster — as another Freeman free, followed by a super Paul Finlay sideline point enabled Monaghan to lead 0-6 to 0-5 at the break.

Some transformation by Cork in the second-half though for, after kicking nine wides in the opening half, suddenly the radar locked in. Diarmuid Duggan, Kissane and Miskella thundered into the game in defence, Nicholas Murphy and Alan O’Connor ate up midfield and the Cork half forward line began to stamp their authority. The scores duly arrived.

Goulding, Goold, Sean O’Brien, Alan O’Connor (he should have goaled) and Goulding again with two more points flattened Monaghan. Seven vintage points had powered Cork into a 0-12 to 0-6 lead and with 20 minutes still to go McEnaney’s men looked on for a hiding.

In between Cork lost Nicholas Murphy with a head injury after a clash with Conor McManus and James Masters was introduced at full-forward, with the disappointing Cussen going to midfield.

Maybe it was Monaghan’s superior fitness, but it was all northern traffic for the final 20 minutes with the sure boot of Freeman in the final 10 minutes bringing his side to within two of Cork.

And it was just as well that Cork substitute Anthony Lynch got a block on Freeman’s last gasp effort to win the game for Monaghan. It would hardly have been deserved though, just three points from play a very poor return from a team who had been smack on form up to now.

Scorers for Cork: D. Goulding 0-5 (0-1 free), F. Goold 0-3, D. O’Connor 0-2 (0-1 free), S. O’Brien, A. O’Connor 0-1 each.

Scorers for Monaghan: T. Freeman 0-7 (0-5 frees), P. Finlay (0-2 (0-1 sideline), R. Woods 0-1.

CORK: A. Quirke; D. Duggan, G. Canty, K. O’Connor; P. Kissane, G. Spillane, J. Miskella; N. Murphy, A. O’Connor; S. O’Brien, F. Goold, K. McMahon; D. Goulding, M. Cussen, D. O’Connor.

Subs: J. Masters for Murphy (40), A. Lynch for K. O’Connor (64), C. McCarthy for D. O’Connor (69).

MONAGHAN: P. McBennett; D. Mone, J P Mone, C. Flanagan; D. Freeman, D. Hughes, P. McGuigan; D. Clerkin, E. Lennon; C. McManus, P. Finlay, S. Gollogly; R. Woods, V. Corey, T. Freeman.

Subs: R. Ronaghan for Finlay (48), D. McArdle for Flanagan (50), C. Hanratty for Gollogly (53), P. Finlay for McManus (69).

Temporary Blood sub: Ronaghan for McManus (40).

Referee: S. Doyle (Wexford).