Clinical Cork secure promotion to Division Two with impressive ease

Allianz FL Division 3

Cork 5-19 

Louth 0-16 

Michael Moynihan, Páirc Uí Chaoimh 

Cork secured promotion to Division 2 of the NFL with an emphatic, double-digit win at home to Louth.

Cork, playing in white, attacked the City End in the first half but Louth settled first, opening the scoring with Sam Mulroy (free) and Anthony Williams points in the opening five minutes.

Paul Walsh opened Cork’s account before Colm O’Callaghan raced onto a Paul Kerrigan pass and netted: 1-1 to 0-2 on eight minutes.

A long-range Killian O’Hanlon free and a Ruairi Deane effort pushed Cork four ahead as the home side settled. O’Callaghan added a fine solo point ahead of the water break, making it 1-4 to 0-2.

Cork resumed with a well-worked move, Ian Maguire popping up at the end with a clever flick to the net, and the Rebels were in full control. This was underlined in the 21st minute, Cian Kiely placing Paul Kerrigan for Cork’s third goal; an O’Hanlon point from the kick-out and it was 3-6 to 0-2.

Louth finally had their third point in the 25th minute, from Tommy Durnin, but O’Hanlon responded in kind.

Mulroy pointed three frees in a row as Louth rallied, but Kevin O’Donovan and Damien Gore had Cork points. With half time closing in Mulroy (free) and Durnin had Louth points but Cork were well on top at the break when leading 3-9 to 0-8.

O’Hanlon and Gore restarted with points before Ruairi Deane placed Kerrigan near goal. His finish to the net was cool: 4-11 to 0-8, and when Louth defender Fergal Donohoe departed on a second yellow on 41 minutes the game was over as a contest.

Sub Mark Collins found the net for Cork’s fifth goal just ahead of the water-break, on 54 minutes, while Louth’s Patrick Reilly and Emmet Carolan were both sent off before the end.

Scorers for Cork: M. Collins (3 frees)(1-5); C. O’Callaghan (1-1); K. O’Hanlon (0-4, 1 free); P. Kerrigan (2-1, 1 free); I. Maguire (1-0 each); P. Walsh, K. O'Donovan, D. Gore (0-2 each); R. Deane, E. McSweeney (0-1 each).

Scorers for Louth: S. Mulroy (0-11, frees); T. Durnin (0-3); A. Williams, C. Whelan (0-1 each).

CORK: M. Martin, K. Flahive, M. Shanley, P. Ring, K. O’Donovan, M. Taylor, C. Kiely, I. Maguire, P. Walsh, R. Deane, K. O’Hanlon, K. O’Driscoll, D. Gore, C. O’Callaghan, P. Kerrigan.

Subs: N. Walsh for Ring (43); M. Collins for Kerrigan (45); E. McSweeney for O’Driscoll (53); N. Hartnett for P. Walsh (56); S. Meehan for O’Hanlon (60).

LOUTH: C. Lynch, D. Corcoran, B. Duffy, K. Carr, F. Donohoe, E. Carolan, A. Williams, T. Durnin, L. Jackson, C. Early, R. Curran, C. McKeever, P. Reilly, S. Mulroy, R. Burns.

Subs: K. Keenan for Curran (HT); J. Clutterbuck for Carr (44); C. Whelan for Burns (52); D. Campbell for Early (55); G. Garland for McKeever (63) 

Referee: S. Mulhare (Laois).