Cooper rescues draw for Kerry

Kerry 0-15 Cork 0-15

Arch rivals Cork and Kerry played out a hard-fought draw in Killarney this afternoon, with Colm Cooper’s injury-time free sending this Munster SFC semi-final to a replay.

Cork had the better of the counties' 20th Championship encounter since 2000, but crucially could not shake off the All-Ireland champions who scored five of the closing six points.

Cork failed to put away two gilt-edged goal-scoring opportunities on the hour mark and the Kingdom battled back to make it 0-14 apiece before substitute Colm O'Neill and Cooper claimed the final points.

It was an exciting finish to a game that never really lifted out of third gear, with Kerry reliant on frees - eight of their points came from placed balls from Cooper and team captain Bryan Sheehan.

Cork had a better spread of scorers, including three from inspirational wing back Paudie Kissane, and they will be kicking themselves that they are facing into a replay - albeit at home in Pairc Ui Chaoimh next Saturday.

On three occasions in the second half, Conor Counihan's men broke into four-point leads but the knockout punch never came and Kerry, helped by Paul Galvin's introduction with 15 minutes to go, were able to rally.

Both sides lined out as selected, with last year's captain Darran O'Sullivan replacing Galvin, who has been hampered by an ankle injury, in the Kerry starting line-up, and Cork welcoming back skipper Graham Canty at full-back.

The reigning Munster and NFL Division 1 champions had Michael Shields at centre back, teenager Aidan Walsh partnering Alan O'Connor at midfield and Donncha O'Connor leading their attack.

Kerry had the benefit of their recent run-out against Tipperary and it showed as they quickly cantered into a 0-3 to 0-0 lead, in front of a 35,782-strong crowd.

Bryan Sheehan curled a sweetly-struck free over off the ground, following an early skirmish involving Declan O'Sullivan and Shields which yielded a yellow card for the latter.

Some crisp passing from Cooper and Kieran Donaghy set up Declan O'Sullivan for Kerry's first point from play, and the 'Gooch' then created some space for his own lobbed point.

Nine minutes in and Cork needed a lift.

Slowly but surely, they got it.

Daniel Goulding floated over an 11th minute free for their opener, and Cork goalkeeper Alan Quirke gained confidence as he gathered a tricky ball under pressure from Donaghy.

The next five minutes belonged to Cork as Donnacha O'Connor knocked over a free, Paddy Kelly raided through to point from a tight angle and Goulding then nudged the visitors ahead with a towering point off his left.

In between, Donnacha O'Connor missed a '45' following a superb block by Marc O Sé, one of Kerry's lynchpins, on the advancing Paul Kerrigan.

The pair enjoyed a fascinating tussle and the Cork corner forward was again thwarted by O Sé in the 22nd minute as he smothered out his goal-bound shot.

A Sheehan free brought the sides level for a second time, with ten minutes left in the first half, but Cork had found their rhythem and they hit three points in as many minutes to go 0-7 to 0-4 in front.

Kerrigan profited from a delayed kickout from Kerry goalkeeper Brendan Kealy for the first, the rampaging Kissane then bagged his first of the afternoon and Pearse O'Neill added his name to the scoresheet in the 28th minute.

Donaghy, who finished the game scoreless, was yellow carded as tensions began to boil over, following the awarding of a relieving free for Cork.

The game's two best forwards, Sheehan and Kerrigan, then traded scores - the Kerry skipper moving onto his right and away from the covering Canty to split the posts from open play, and Kerrigan fisting over, having evaded the grasp of his marker O Sé.

Kerry engineered a goal-scoring chance in the dying embers, and Donaghy should have at least forced a save from Quirke.

Cooper flicked the ball through for Donaghy who played a one-two with Sheehan drilling the ball to the left and wide, with the Cork 'keeper and his defenders doing enough to put the Tralee man off.

Cooper took a heavy hit from Canty as he passed the ball through, earning the Cork captain a yellow card, and Kerry at least finished the half with a point as Sheehan cracked over another textbook free in injury-time, taking his personal haul to 0-4.

0-8 to 0-6 in arrears at the break, Kerry fell further behind as Cork burst out of the blocks for the second half. Kerrigan cut onto his left to strike his third point from play, and after Kerry substitute Anthony Maher had been dispossessed, Alan O'Connor pointed on the turn.

A goal went a-begging for Kerry when Donnacha Walsh was put through by Donaghy. His close range shot was blocked by Quirke's outstretched leg but Kerry did manage to score the next three points, courtesy of efforts from Tomas O Se, Sheehan and Cooper.

Defender O Sé went on a trademark burst forward and marked his 71st Championship appearance with a brilliant point off the outside of his right boot.

Sheehan and Cooper tagged on successive frees to make it 0-10 to 0-9, only for Cork to dominate the next spell. Getting on top in midfield, Counihan's charges found a path through to goal and Kissane needed no second asking as he kicked a sublime long range score in the 45th minute, and followed up with a barnstorming run, two minutes later, which resulted in another top class point.

Amid a spate of hand-passing from Cork, these were two of their best moments and when Goulding kicked another free, the gap was out to four. After Sheehan and Donncha O'Connor had exchanged frees, Kerry manager Jack O'Connor brought on Galvin and then Barry John Keane, who had impressed off the bench against Tipperary.

Tomas O Sé, once again up in support of his forwards, flung a first time shot over the crossbar as Kerry began to eat into Cork's advantage.

A pointed free from Cooper whittled it down to two, before Kerry net minder Kealy displayed great bravery to block Alan O'Connor's stinging shot from close range, with the ball cannoning off his face.

Kealy recovered quickly to put Aidan Walsh off; the Cork midfielder scuffing his shot to the left and wide when one-on-one.

It was a let-off for Kerry and they built further momentum as Cooper capitalised on a poor kickout to set up Keane for a point and with just one minute of normal time remaining, Maher jinked onto his right and then left to create enough space to draw the sides level at 0-14 apiece.

Would this be the fourth draw between these sides at Fitzgerald Stadium since 2002, or could one of them push on and win it?

Cork showed they were capable when substitute Colm O'Neill landed a superb point off his left.

But, in the second minute of injury-time, Cooper won what some felt was a dubious free, on the right wing, and stepped up to convert in impressive fashion, squaring the game up for the fourth and final time.

Scorers: Kerry: B Sheehan 0-6 (0-5f), C Cooper 0-4 (0-3f), T O Se 0-2, Declan O’Sullivan, BJ Keane, A Maher 0-1 each

Cork: P Kerrigan, D Goulding (0-2f), P Kissane 0-3 each, D O’Connor 0-2 (0-1f), P Kelly, P O’Neill, A O’Connor, C O’Neill 0-1 each

KERRY: B Kealy; M O Se, T Griffin, T O'Sullivan; T O Se, M McCarthy, K Young; S Scanlon, M Quirke; Darran O'Sullivan, Declan O'Sullivan, D Walsh; C Cooper, K Donaghy, B Sheehan (capt).

Subs used: A Maher for Quirke (14-17 mins, blood sub), A Maher for Quirke (half-time), D Moran for Scanlon (48), P Galvin for Darran O’Sullivan (55), BJ Keane for Walsh (61), P Reidy for Young (64).

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, G Canty (capt), J O'Sullivan; N O’Leary, M Shields, P Kissane; A O’Connor, A Walsh; P O’Neill, D O’Connor, P Kelly; D Goulding, C Sheehan, P Kerrigan.

Subs used: J Miskella for O’Leary (50 mins), F Goold for D O’Connor (59), C O’Neill for Goulding (63), D Kavanagh for A O’Connor (67).

Referee: Padraig Hughes (Armagh)