Paddy Lane hits 2-12 as Mercy Mounthawk glide into Corn Uí Mhuirí semi-final

Reigning champions Mercy Mounthawk will face Hamilton High School Bandon in the last-four of the Corn Uí Mhuirí.

NO MERCY: Paddy Lane, Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee breaks the tackle of Liam Kelleher, St Francis College Rochestown during their TUS Corn Ui Mhuiri quarter-final at Mallow, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Corn Uí Mhuirí quarter-final: Mercy Mounthawk 5-23 St Francis College, Rochestown 5-6 

Another convincing case for the defence. You certainly could not accuse Mercy Mounthawk of going about their back-to-back Corn Uí Mhuirí bid with any degree of subtlety.

After group stage strolls stretching out to 20, 20, and 12 points respectively, Mounthawk began the knockout phase with another double-digit hammering. Theirs was a lead 28 points strong before Rochestown found the net on four occasions in the final 10 minutes.

Not even the concession of four goals in such a short space of time could in any way diminish the ominous statement long issued. The champions are within one hour of back-to-back final appearances and there hasn’t been as much as a glove laid on them.

An argument for another day is if their back-to-back bid is being served by the ease at which they are edging closer and closer to the piece of silverware they clasped their hands onto for the first time in February of last year.

This opening Wednesday quarter-final was without argument. Or suspense. Or resistance. The one argument to be made is that the result took on an inevitable look as early as the 16th second. Daniel Kirby won the throw-in, passed to fellow midfielder Ben Murphy, he kicked inside, Cormac Bastible fed Paddy Lane, and Lane did as we all expected by putting the ball in the net.

Backed by a noteworthy breeze, Mounthawk’s lead simply grew and grew from there. By the 11th minute, their lead was 2-6 to 0-2. Lane was responsible for 2-3, assisting for all bar one of the remaining 0-3. His second goal was an eighth minute penalty awarded for a foul on centre-forward Tomás Kennedy.

David Sargeant, Mercy Mounthawk, Tralee looking to win this high ball from Ben Delaney, St Francis College, Cork during their TUS Corn Ui Mhuiri (19 A F) match at Mallow, Co Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

By the 18th minute, the lead was headed for the 20-point margin. Midfielder Kirby with their third green flag of the half, 3-12 to 0-3 now the scoreline. On 20 minutes, that lead breached the 20-point mark, fellow midfielder Ben Murphy finding the net at the second attempt. 4-12 to 0-3. A rout in every sense.

A foul on Ronan Dooley, leading to a Ben Delaney converted penalty, drew the first real applause from the Roco majority among the tiny crowd that watched this non-event. It was Delaney’s third penalty of the campaign and fourth goal overall.

This fifth green flag of the opening half was not to be the last. Kirby got in for his second and his team’s fifth on the stroke of half-time. Him and Murphy poured forward at every opportunity. The pair are the towering heartbeat of this Mounthawk team.

At 5-12 to 1-3 in front at half-time, all that remained to be determined was the size of Mouthawk’s winning margin. There was no initial let-up from Aidan O’Shea’s students. Lane, Kirby, Bastible, Murphy, Sean Corkery, Kennedy (free), and sub Billy Doyle all split the posts to move their advantage out to 28 points, 5-22 to 1-6, on 47 minutes. Lane departed a minute later, 2-12 beside his name.

The switch off occurred thereafter. From the 51st minute, Rochestown managed four goals, and they weren’t terribly overworked in managing them. Sub Jamie O’Brien was responsible for two, with Padraig McGrath and Mark O’Brien also on the mark.

Still untested, Mounthawk will face Hamilton High School Bandon, victors over Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne, in the last four. That semi-final is in the diary for Saturday week. On the latest evidence provided here, it is so difficult to see the back-to-back bid being halted there.

Scorers for Mercy Mounthawk: P Lane (2-12, 0-4 frees, 1-0 pen); D Kirby (2-1); B Murphy (1-2); T Kennedy (0-1 free), C Bastible (0-3 each); S Corkery, B Doyle (0-1).

Scorers for St Francis College, Rochestown: Jamie O’Brien (2-0); P McGrath (1-2) B Delaney (1-0 pen), M O’Brien (1-1 each); D O’Sullivan (0-2, 0-1 free).

MERCY MOUNTHAWK: R Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys); B Meehan (Kerins O’Rahillys), B Sharp (St Pat’s Blennerville), J Fisher (Austin Stacks); P O’Halloran (Austin Stacks), D Sargent (John Mitchels), G Casey (Austin Stacks); D Kirby (Austin Stacks), B Murphy (Austin Stacks); A Tuohy (Austin Stacks), T Kennedy (Kerins O’Rahillys), S Corkery (John Mitchels); C Bastible (Austin Stacks), P Lane (Austin Stacks), A Harty Churchill.

SUBS: K O’Donoghue (Na Gaeil) for Fisher (28 mins, inj); B Doyle (Churchill) for Harty (38); J Hoare (Kerins O’Rahillys) for Tuohy (42); C McGibney (Churchill) for Casey (43); O Kerins (Kerins O’Rahillys) for Lane (48); M Savage (Ballymacelligott) for Bastible (temporary 53).

ST FRANCIS COLLEGE, ROCHESTOWN: J Lyons (Nemo Rangers); L Kelleher (Douglas), D O'Kelly (St Finbarr's), B Murphy (Carrigaline); D O’Donoghue (Douglas), N O'Shea (Nemo Rangers), J Mouret (Douglas); Jack O’Brien (Douglas), D Reddington (Douglas); R Dooley (Douglas), J Harte (Douglas), B Delaney (Carrigaline); P McGrath (Douglas), M O’Brien (Douglas), D O'Sullivan (Nemo Rangers).

SUBS: Jamie O’Brien (Douglas) for Harte, E Murphy (Carrigaline) for O’Kelly (both HT); S Denn (Nemo Rangers) for Jack O’Brien (50).

REFEREE: D O’Callaghan (Limerick).