Cork vault last hurdle on long road back to Broadway
TOPPING THE POLL: An Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD along with David Buckley of Cork after the Allianz FL Division 2 match in Omagh. Photo by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
John Cleary and Brian Hurley wouldn’t have felt the journey as they made their way home south on Sunday evening.
This victory and what it meant to this Cork group back in Gaelic football’s limelight would have made the travel time fly.
But Hurley’s extraordinary 66th-minute score that made up most of the difference between the sides would have been cause for mirth too.
Thirty years after Colm Coyle’s point effort famously took a hop before clearing John Madden’s crossbar, Hurley did the same above Oisín O’Kane’s. Only Hurley’s mishit effort from outside the 40-metre arc was worth double the value and it pushed Cork five points ahead.
“Well, we’ll discuss that later,” smiled Cleary about what he thought of Hurley’s attempt. “But it wouldn't have been in our rulebook for today.”
Hurley could only shake his head. “It was random. I was going off my left and just mishit or whatever. I think I caught the ground. When it was just bouncing, (I was thinking) if it bounces here, I think there’s a two-pointer and I was thinking about the rules. I heard Cleary roaring at me as well so thankfully it went over.”
Fortunate as it was, it ensured a victory for Cork that they earned and should have accomplished more comfortably. Colm O’Callaghan and Ian Maguire came out on top of a fine midfield contest with Brian Kennedy and Conn Kilpatrick.
Cork led by a point at the break, 0-9 to 0-8, having done ample spadework against an obvious breeze. But given what was at stake after 10 years Cleary expected nothing other than a battle. “There were times when we looked like we weren't maybe going to push it home and we should have.
“They hit the crossbar in the first half, but I thought we played excellently in the first half. The last 10 minutes they took it over around the middle. The second half then, we didn't start that well, but in fairness I thought we fought very well.
“Maybe should have won more comfortably in the end. Got a bit of a fluke (Hurley’s two-pointer) maybe with the one that hopped over.
“But there was a lot on the line for us today, and maybe lads were a bit nervous. But look, we're absolutely thrilled because there have been days when it's gone against us and we'll take it today.”
There was nothing lucky about Cork’s excellent accuracy. Twenty scores from 27 attempts (74%) was a splendid return as much as Hurley’s was the third they dropped short when assisted by the wind in the second half. Tyrone’s, on the other hand, was 56% (18 from 32 efforts).
The teams were square on four occasions in the third quarter but Cork took control of the centre and made it show with five points from play between the 51st and 55th minutes.
Mark Cronin and Dara Sheedy’s successful efforts were doubled by Steven Sherlock’s two-pointer prior to Hurley making his introduction. Sherlock punished a foul on Hurley, although Cork could have made matters so easier for themselves had Cronin (free) and Chris Óg Jones flashed wides.
At the other end, Darren McCurry and the evergreen Mattie Donnelly brought Tyrone within a point but Cork’s resolution couldn’t be questioned.
Hurley and Sherlock each pointed before Hurley’s crazy effort. Tyrone hit back with three points but it was Hurley who eased Cork’s worries with a fisted point.
As Cleary mentioned, Tyrone spanked the crossbar via McCurry but Seánie McDonnell too had a goal opening kept out by O’Kane in the 15th minute. Tyrone responded immediately with an Ethan Jordan two-pointer only for Cork to rattle off the next three points to lead by five.
Tyrone were in the ascendancy for the periods immediate before and after half-time but this was another disappointment for them. It had been they along with Derry who were fancied to make a speedy return to Division 1.
This fourth defeat in Division 2 came down to their nine first-half wides when they were also guilty of some stand-off defending that Cork gleefully exploited.
Donnelly rolled back the years with six points and Darragh Canavan came to life in the second half but they lacked the composure and confidence that Cork had built up over the last couple of months.
Heading to Armagh for their Ulster SFC preliminary round clash in three weeks, they will be underdogs but Malachy O’Rourke took some positives from this display.
“Going to the Athletic Grounds in a championship match is probably the hardest challenge that you can get anywhere in Ireland. We’re under no illusions about that.
“We know as well that we’ve been inconsistent throughout games as well, and we know of the power and pace and everything else that Armagh have and it’s going to be a serious battle.
“But that’s the hand we’re dealt, we have to knuckle down and recover first. I do see green shoots all the time and we have given a lot of fellas their debuts during the league and they are more in tune with this level of football.
“When you’re trying to build a team, there’s that wee bit of pain and discomfort, but it’s not only about performance on the field but getting the environment right.”
Those barriers have been vaulted by Cork. Next Sunday, Croke Park. Next year, Broadway.
M. Donnelly (0-6); E. Jordan (0-5, 2 frees, 1 tp); D. Canavan (0-4, 1 free); D. McCurry (0-2); C. Daly, C. Kilpatrick (0-1 each).
S. Sherlock (0-5, 2 frees, 1 tp); B. Hurley (0-4, 1tp); C. O’Callaghan (0-3); C. Jones, S. McDonnell, M. Cronin (1 free) (0-2 each); L. Fahy, I. Maguire, T. Walsh, D. Sheedy (0-1 each).
O. O’Kane; C. Quinn, P. Teague, B. Cullen; N. Devlin, B. McDonnell, J. Clarke; B. Kennedy (c), C. Kilpatrick; S. O’Donnell, R. Cassidy, B. McDonnell; D. McCurry, M. Donnelly, E. Jordan.
E. McElholm for E. Jordan (inj, h-t); F. Burns for B. McDonnell (48); C. Daly for R. Cassidy (53); M. McKernan for B. Cullen (55); C. Bogue for D. McCurry (66).
P. Doyle; S. Meehan, D. O’Mahony, M. Shanley; B. O’Driscoll, T. Walsh, L. Fahy; C. O’Callaghan, I. Maguire (c); P. Walsh, S. McDonnell, S. Sherlock; C. Jones, D. Sheedy, M. Cronin.
B. Hurley for D. Sheedy (53); R. Deane for P. Walsh (59); R. Maguire for L. Fahy (61); S. Walsh for S. McDonnell (66); D. Buckley for I. Maguire (69).
M. McNally (Monaghan).
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