Efficient Tyrone consign wasteful Cork to away preliminary quarter-final tie
TOUGH BATTLE: Tyrone's Darragh Canavan in action against Cork full-back Daniel O' Mahony. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach, Sportsfile
Tyrone’s efficiency didn’t succeed in purchasing them the prize they wanted.
Donegal’s hammering of Clare in Castlebar meant victory here was not enough to elevate them to top spot in Group 3 and direct passage to the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Tyrone’s efficiency included 75% accuracy in the opening half.
Into the second-half and they didn’t register a single wide until a difficult Niall Morgan free drifted to the left of the post on 58 minutes. They had only two second wides and four in total.
Such efficiency did at least purchase them a preliminary quarter-final on home sod. There’s consolation enough in that.
For Cork, it was their complete lack of efficiency that cost them two weeks reprieve from knockout fare and an All-Ireland quarter-final draw that avoided the frontrunners for Sam Maguire.
Their lack of efficiency has them on the road next week. The destination is yet unknown, but it could be Salthill, Castlebar, Croke Park, or Armagh. None of those sound at all appetising.
Their lack of efficiency has seen their season swing sharply.
After a first half where six white flags were left behind, they began the second period by leaving behind a green flag. Daniel O’Mahony’s fourth turnover on Darragh Canavan began a play that saw Paul Walsh put in the clear. His 37th minute drive flashed wide.
A green flag would have shoved Cork four in front.
On 43 minutes, this Round 3 contest took another sharp swing. Chris Óg Jones was black-carded for a challenge on outstanding Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan. Tyrone outgunned their opponents 1-3 to 0-2 during the 10 minutes of numerical advantage.
Cork were lax in tracking the Tyrone runners for the game’s sole goal, Michael O’Neill threading possession to Ben Cullen who finished. A Darragh Canavan point on 54 minutes, just before Jones re-entered, left the scoreboard reading 1-14 to 0-13.
Cork were unable to close the gap. Instead, the gap travelled in the other direction. Cork’s alertness waned, Tyrone punched more and more holes. A Darren McCurry goal chance deflected over by Chris Kelly increased the gap to five.
A Conn Kilpatrick off-the-ball red on 62 minutes provided Cork a glimmer of hope. It amounted to a hill of beans. Sherlock’s 69th minute free - he started instead of the injured Brian Hurley - was only their fourth score of the half and first in 18 minutes.
Cork have a steep, steep hill ahead of them to try and reach the last eight for the third successive summer.
Cork held a 0-10 to 0-9 interval lead. We doubt they’d have been overly satisfied with the size of that advantage, if you could even call it an advantage. There were five first-half Cork wides, a Seán Powter effort dropped short, and a Chris Óg Jones swing that came back off the post.
Cork took 16 first half shots, Tyrone four less. The closeness of the scoreline did not reflect Cork’s greater incision and enterprise from open play. That’s where the interval dressing-room disappointment lay.
Where the final product was lacking, Cork’s close-quarter tackling and their ability to force turnovers was once again so impressive. Leading by example was full-back Daniel O’Mahony, his three turnovers on Darragh Cavanan resulting in a Chris Óg Jones point and a pair for Steven Sherlock. Exactly half of Cork’s first-half 0-10 came from turnover ball.
Tyrone were no slouches in the same department, although they did receive a little help from Cork sloppiness.
Two of their three-in-a-row from the 26th to the 28th minute to push ahead for the first time in proceedings - 0-8 to 0-7 - came from turnovers, a stray pass to Ian Maguire and Powter being stripped of possession the platform for the Ulstermen’s most productive spell of the opening half.
That three-in-a-row, supplied by Seán O’Donnell and the Canavan brothers Darragh and Ruairí, was at odds with an enjoyable half of football that was level on seven occasions.
An exquisite left-footed Cronin kick and Sherlock’s second free returned John Cleary’s men in front on the stroke of half-time. In control for a substantial chunk and yet chasing at the finish.
They must now chase championship survival on the road next week.
D Canavan (0-5, 0-1 free); B Cullen (1-0); N Morgan (0-3, 0-1 free, 0-1 45), D McCurry (0-3, 0-1 free); R Canavan (0-2); C Kilpatrick, N Devlin, M O’Neill, S O’Donnell, M McKernan (0-1 each).
S Sherlock (0-8, 0-6 frees); M Cronin (0-4, 0-2 frees); C Óg Jones (0-3); B O’Driscoll (0-2).
C Kelly; K Flahive, D O’Mahony, T Walsh; M Shanley, R Maguire, M Taylor; I Maguire, C O’Callaghan; P Walsh, S Powter, B O’Driscoll; M Cronin, C Óg Jones, S Sherlock.
R Deane for Powter (49); C Corbett for P Walsh (53); S Meehan for Flahive (66); C O’Mahony for Cronin (68); K O’Hanlon for O’Driscoll (70).
N Morgan; M McKernan, P Hampsey, M Donnelly; B Cullen, A Clarke, N Devlin; B Kennedy, C Kilpatrick; C Daly, S O’Donnell, M O’Neill; D McCurry, D Canavan, R Canavan.
P Harte for O’Neill (HT); C McShane for R Canavan (63); S O’Hare for O’Donnell (67); C Quinn for Cullen (68); T Quinn for D Canavan (70).
P Neilan (Roscommon).
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