Rebels make vital point

Cork 2-14 Tyrone 0-20

This was a game where Cork trailed by four at half-time but then led by three as the clock reached 68 minutes.However, Tyrone refused to yield. Seán Cavanagh gave them hope with a point and then Kyle Coney kicked his ninth point following the rash concession of a free by Cork. When Cavanagh took a pass from centre-back Matthew Donnelly, he would have scored had he not been fouled and sub Ronan O’Neill tied matters.

There was time for one last Cork attack and Fintan Goold’s effort with his weaker right foot convinced some of the home support it was headed over only to come back off the left upright and David Coldrick called a halt.

Overall, a draw was fair. Mickey Harte correctly pointed out afterwards Tyrone had chances to push on when they had the upper hand, but it was to Cork’s credit they held the visitors’ attack scoreless for 13 second-half minutes.

It was during this period they surged to the front, aided by the impact of half-time sub Colm O’Neill. His free was sandwiched by efforts from John O’Rourke and Brian Hurley as the game was tied at 1-10 to 0-13 and then he struck for a fine goal.

After Cork won a free at midfield, Patrick Kelly – deployed in the half-back line – sent a quick ball to Andrew O’Sullivan and when he placed O’Neill, the attacker had only one thing on his mind, fizzing a shot past Niall Morgan. With their tails up, Cork moved four in front as O’Neill and another sub, Barry O’Driscoll, answered a free from Morgan, but Tyrone clung on.

While Colm Cavanagh and sub Martin Penrose were denied goals by Fintan Goold and goalkeeper David Hanrahan, respectively, Morgan and Penrose cut the gap to two, though Michael Shields’ outside-of-the-boot effort gave Cork breathing space and had all the hallmarks of a winner. It would be their final score.

Being able to introduce Penrose, O’Neill and Conor Gormley was a huge bonus for Tyrone manager Mickey Harte and powerful running at a depleted Cork defence – Eoin Cadogan and Noel Galvin were retired injury and Tomás Clancy was black-carded in the first-half – increased the jitters. “We said to them at half-time they had to stay competitive,” Harte said after, “they did that.”

Cork will feel some element of regret they could not make it five wins out of six. Nevertheless Brian Cuthbert can look back on an unbeaten home record in his maiden league campaign, something which looked unlikely at half-time after Tyrone had kicked five late points in-a-row to lead by 0-12 to 1-5.

O’Neill and, to a lesser extent Brian Hurley, shone in attack. John O’Rourke showed his versatility by kicking two points and then, like Kelly, finished in the half-back line. Fintan Goold battled hard at midfield, earning high praise from Cuthbert.

They were caught cold early on, as Coney kicked the first of his six first-half points, with Peter Harte and Darren McCurry adding others. When Kerrigan produced an electrifying slalom before depositing the ball beyond Morgan, Cork were motoring and by the 27th minute were still level, 1-5 to 0-8.

A couple of injury-related hold-ups punctuated the game’s flow, however, and when it got going again it was Tyrone who got back up to speed better. Coney produced a power fade from the left and then Connor McAliskey converted a free before Coney added two more to give a four-point half-time lead.

O’Rourke drew first blood for Cork in the second-half, though it should probably have been a goal, and then Hurley brought it back to two points. There were plenty more twists and turns, but by the end it was just as it had been at the start.

Scorers for Cork: B Hurley 0-5 (0-2 frees), C O’Neill 1-2 (0-2 frees), P Kerrigan 1-0, J Hayes, J O’Rourke 0-2 each, M Shields, C O’Driscoll, Barry O’Driscoll 0-1 each.

Scorers for Tyrone: K Coney 0-9 (0-1 free), D McCurry 0-4 (0-2 frees), N Morgan 0-2 (0-1 free, 0-1 45), P Harte, S Cavanagh, C McAliskey 0-1 (0-1 free), R O’Neill (0-1 free), M Penrose each.

CORK: D Hanrahan; E Cadogan, Tom Clancy (Clonakilty), N Galvin; J Loughrey, M Shields, Tomás Clancy (Fermoy); A O’Sullivan, F Goold; M Collins, P Kerrigan, J O’Rourke; D Goulding, B Hurley, J Hayes.

Subs: J O’Sullivan for Tomás Clancy (27, black card), C O’Neill for Goulding (half-time), P Kelly for Cadogan (39, injured), Barry O’Driscoll for Galvin (42, injured), C O’Driscoll for Kerrigan (48), A Cronin for Hayes (70).

TYRONE: N Morgan; A McCrory, R McNamee, R McKenna; T McCann, Matthew Donnelly, P Harte; C Cavanagh, S Cavanagh; Mark Donnelly, S McGuigan, C McGinley; C McCurry, K Coney, C McAliskey.

Subs: D McBride for McCann (27), R O’Neill for McCurry (52), M Penrose for McAliskey, C Gormley for McGinley (both 54), N McKenna for Mark Donnelly (58), K Gallagher for McGuigan (66).

Referee: D Coldrick (Meath).