Cork hurlers rebound in style as Dublin exit championship

Cork’s attack was in fine form in six-point win

Dublin's Ronan Hayes and Eamonn Dillon with Stephen McDonnell and Colm Spillane of Cork

All-Ireland SHC qualifier: Cork 1-25 Dublin 0-22

Energy in the half-forward line, industry in the middle and intelligence sweeping the half-back line.

What sounds like a list of positions in the Biden cabinet was the key to Cork’s All-Ireland SHC round one win over Dublin on Saturday night.

Cork showed a huge improvement on their previous outing, a defeat against Waterford, and after an early goal always had something to spare over the men in sky blue. Dublin had run Kilkenny to a point the previous weekend but couldn’t reach the same level of performance.

Cork manager Kieran Kingston was understandably happier: “It’s easy to say it now but the attitude in training during the week was really good. The players were hurting — hurt by what was said and written, and there was no argument with it, you deserve what you get.

“Fellas were really disappointed with the performance last Saturday, and today doesn’t take away from that, it was what it was and we were hugely disappointed and annoyed over it.

“It gets us into the draw. Let’s not get carried away, this gets us into the draw and that’s all it does.” Dublin started with two good Danny Sutcliffe points but in the ninth minute newcomers Jack O’Connor and Declan Dalton combined for the latter to goal, and Cork’s half-forward line of Seamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston and Robbie O’Flynn began to dominate.

They ended with 0-14 between them from play, ably backed by Luke Meade processing ball through the middle.

In contrast, Dublin were relying on Donal Burke’s accuracy from frees to stay in touch, and on the stroke of half-time a Patrick Horgan point from halfway made it 1-13 to 0-10.

Anthony Nash denied Sutcliffe a goal on the resumption as the teams continued to swap points, Cork maintaining a six-point gap.

Horgan and Harnedy pushed Cork further ahead before Burke pulled one back before the water break — 1-19 to 0-15.

Horgan added two more points soon afterwards and Cork were in control entering the final ten minutes, squandering a couple of goal chances along the way. The eventual winning margin was seven points.

“My initial reaction is we allowed Cork open a bit of a lead halfway through that first half,” said Dublin boss Mattie Kenny.

“I think they went five points up. We hurled well after that.

“But every time we got a score, they went down and got a score as well. We weren’t able to close that lead they had.”

In the red and white corner, Kieran Kingston was stressing the importance of games to his side’s development: “We have 16 guys on the panel 24 or younger, 13 23 or younger — nine of them started and that’s excluding Darragh Fitzgibbon and those players.

So it’s a very young team and panel in many ways. Games like this will help them hugely to develop.

“We had two making their championship debuts, Robbie (O’Flynn) hadn’t played since being suspended in the league, and they were fantastic — so were all the others we introduced prior and during the game.” For Dublin, a tough schedule of games seemed to take its toll, particularly in the second half, and they never quite got to grips with Cork’s movement in the half-forward line. Mark Coleman’s calm distribution from a free role around the Cork half-back line punished Dublin time and time again, the Blarney man spraying passes that helped Cork to set up attack after attack.

For Kieran Kingston and his men, another game beckons this weekend. They will be mindful of the fact that Dublin had an extra game in their legs last Saturday night, and their opponents will not want to allow Coleman as much freedom as he enjoyed on Saturday night in Thurles.

Cork also left a couple of goal chances behind them, opportunities that the top sides don’t waste.

Depending on your media consumption habits, you may already know who Cork are facing when you read this. Replicating the attitude and work rate shown on Saturday will make them awkward opponents no matter who that is.

Game in 60 seconds

 

IT MATTERED: Cork had a goal inside the first 10 minutes from Declan Dalton. It was a huge boost to the confidence of a side who’d disappointed the previous weekend and put a Dublin side back on their heels in their third game in two weeks. Early though it was, the score put Cork on the road to victory.

CAN’T IGNORE: Cork’s improvement around the middle. Their half-forward line of Seamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston and Robbie O’Flynn stretched Dublin at every opportunity while Luke Meade and Bill Cooper were hugely efficient in midfield.

SIDELINE SMARTS: Kieran Kingston gave Mark Coleman the freedom to roam, a decision which was repaid in spades, while Cork’s defence had a more solid look with Colm Spillane strengthening the full-back line.

MAIN MAN: Robbie O’Flynn ended with five points but Coleman gave an exhibition in handling and distribution.

“Mark’s hurling speaks for itself and we all know what he can do,” said Kingston. “He had freedom to move across the half-back line and we pushed him out and back. He’s an outstanding player, he showed it last week and again today.”

PHYSIO ROOM: Cork defender Sean O’Donoghue was replaced in the first half with an injury.

“We’ll have to assess (him),” said Kingston. “It’s a bit early yet. Darragh Fitzgibbon and Alan and Eoin Cadogan — unlikely either will be available for next weekend. Alan hurt his quad during the week, so it’s unlikely he’ll be available for the weekend.”

MAN IN BLACK: John Keenan of Wicklow made the occasional puzzling call but had a good game overall.

WHAT’S NEXT: Cork go into the pot for the next round, while Dublin must wait now for 2021.

Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (0-8)(5 frees, 1 65); R. O’Flynn, S. Harnedy (0-5 each); S. Kingston (0-4); D. Dalton (1-1); L. Meade, J. O’Connor (0-1 each).

Scorers for Dublin: D. Burke (0-12)(9 frees); C. Crummey (0-3); D. Sutcliffe, C. Boland (0-2 each); R. Hayes, C. Burke, D. Keogh (0-1 each).

CORK: A. Nash; D. Cahalane, C. Spillane, S. O’Donoghue; T. O’Mahony, R. Downey, M. Coleman; B. Cooper, L. Meade; S. Harnedy, S. Kingston, R. O’Flynn; J. O’Connor, D. Dalton, P. Horgan (c).

Subs: S. McDonnell for O’Donoghue (inj., 28); C. Lehane for Dalton (54); A. Walsh for Harnedy (65); N. O’Leary for Downey (68); S. Barrett for O’Connor (70).

DUBLIN: A. Nolan; P. Smyth, E. O’Donnell, J. Madden; C. Burke, D. Gray, C. O’Callaghan; J. Malone, R. McBride; C. Boland, C. Crummey (c(, D. Sutcliffe; D. Burke, R. Hayes, E. Dillon.

Subs: D. Keogh for Dillon (44); S. Moran for Malone, L. Rushe for Hayes (both 50); M. Schutte for Boland (54); C. Keaney for McBride (66) 

Referee: J. Keenan (Wicklow).