Lightning fast Dubs leave Rebels reeling

Dublin 1-16 Cork 0-14

Conor Counihan knew it. Indeed, he said as much before the game when Cork conceded 1-16 against Galway having coughed up the same amount to Kerry in the Munster final. “We’d certainly need to reduce that going forward.”

They didn’t, history repeated itself a third time and there could be no complaints, but few were forthcoming as the Cork manager bid adieu after six seasons (five and a bit if you factor in he was only appointed in February 2008 following the strike).

How will this last instalment in his time at the helm be judged? If Dublin, much like Cork against Galway, had taken more than one of their six goal chances this result would have been confirmed long before the final five minutes.

Dublin have created 25 such openings in their last three championship games, converting seven, but worryingly for them they’ve succeeded with just three from 12 in their last two matches.

Cork were in their slipstream right up until the final 10 minutes thanks to the success their full-forward line was enjoying from the high ball pumped into them.

Brian Hurley showed once again just what a player he’s going to be for Cork, picking off two fine scores in 10 minutes at a time when Dublin couldn’t manage to shake themselves free.

Cork were economical too, registering just five wides to Dublin’s 12 and it was obvious Hurley and Daniel Goulding had the beating of their markers.

Yet how they might have wished the turning point of the game had fallen to one of them rather than defender Paudie Kissane when Rory O’Carroll erred. The substitute’s shot went wide and Dublin wriggled off the hook.

And yet Cork were by far second best. Overshadowed in midfield where they had done so well against Galway, they had to live on scraps for large portions of the game and found the searing runs of Jack McCaffrey from deep too much to take. How they stayed as relevant in this game for so long was a combination of Dublin’s profligacy and their own ability to make almost everything count.

“It’s difficult to assess 10 or 15 minutes after the game,” shrugged Counihan. “I thought they were pacy, that their movement was quite good, they got good scores, but at times they also looked vulnerable.

“We created a few goal opportunities, maybe half-chances, and if we’d stuck them and got closer, how would they have responded? That challenge is ahead, but they’re formidable.”

Obviously happy to have won the game as much as there were times when Jonny Cooper and Kevin O’Brien looked incredibly suspect when the ball was pumped in, Jim Gavin defended his team’s poor goal conversion rate.

“I think they’re creating more than most teams out there. It’s the return we’re getting. There is no one thing I could put my finger on. My mantra is to keep creating the opportunities and keep their composure and patience, which they did against a very good Cork side.”

After the lead changed four times in the opening 26 minutes, a period when Bernard Brogan hit the post and Alan Quirke made a fine save from Michael Darragh Macauley, Dublin pushed two points ahead.

A Mark Collins score cut the difference to one, but the half-time score read 0-9 to 0-7 following a Brogan free just before the break.

Cork were fortunate David Coldrick didn’t see Michael Shields’ clean lift off the ground in the penalty area in the 34th minute, but were left cursing McCaffrey’s speed when he finished high to the net in the 38th — minute just seconds after Diarmuid Connolly kicked wide when a goal looked on.

Stephen Cluxton, also Dublin’s highest scorer with six, denied Pearse O’Neill and then Connolly overcooked a hand-pass to Paul Mannion when the net was begging to be bulged in the 49th minute.

When Hurley cut the gap to two, the significance of that spurned chance heightened, but Dublin continued to find their range — their bench once again earning its corn as Dean Rock and Kevin McManamon posted scores.

Another replacement, Denis Bastick, knocked over the final score after Cork managed just one score, a James Loughrey point, in the final 10 minutes of normal time and Kissane’s erratic kick was rued all the more.

Maybe with the future in mind, Gavin stressed: “There was no cynicism out there today. Two teams going hell for leather.”

One was just better than the other and eventually it showed.

Scorers for Dublin: S Cluxton 0-6 (3f, 3 45s); J McCaffrey 1-0; C Kilkenny, D Rock 0-2 each; MD Macauley, P Flynn, B Brogan (1f), K McManamon and D Bastick 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: D Goulding 0-5 (2f, 1 45); B Hurley 0-3; M Collins 0-2 (1f); J O’Rourke, D Cahalane (45), J Loughrey and C Sheehan 0-1 each.

DUBLIN: S Cluxton; K O’Brien, R O’Carroll, J Cooper; J McCarthy, G Brennan, J McCaffrey; MD Macauley, C O’Sullivan; P Flynn, C Kilkenny, B Cullen; P Mannion, D Connolly, B Brogan.

Subs for Dublin: D Rock for B Cullen (41); P McMahon for K O’Brien (51); K McManamon for P Mannion (54, inj); D Bastick for MD Macauley (60); E O’Gara for C Kilkenny (65).

CORK: A Quirke; E Cadogan, M Shields, Thomas Clancy; G Canty, J Loughrey, D Cahalane; A O’Connor, P O’Neill; J O’Rourke, A Walsh, M Collins; C Sheehan, D Goulding, B Hurley.

Subs for Cork: Tomás Clancy for E Cadogan (h-t); P Kerrigan for J O’Rourke (43); P Kissane for Thomas Clancy (41, inj); D O’Connor for A O’Connor (51); J O’Sullivan for G Canty (55).

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).