Cork 0-15
Limerick 0-13
CORK HAD TO withstand a second-half fightback from Limerick before prevailing in this evening’s Munster junior football semi-final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
John Mullane, who has plenty senior experience with Limerick in recent years, inspired their second-half revival with some brilliant point-taking as they cut the gap to two points in a frantic finale.
Cork did enough to hold on and reach the final where they will play the winners of tomorrow’s game between Kerry and Clare in Ennis.
Cork were All-Ireland champions at this level last year and thus had to field a completely new side. But they started brightly to be in front by 0-7 to 0-2 after twenty minutes and held a 0-10 to 0-5 advantage at the interval.
Limerick reduced the deficit to three points during the second-half before Cork upped the ante again and were 0-14 to 0-9 clear with ten minutes remaining.
Limerick rallied strongly in the closing stages but Cork’s attackers had put enough on the board. Full-forward Paul Condon finished with 0-6 while Brian Coughlan, Mark Sugrue and Shane Beston – who all have recent U21 inter-county experience – caught they eye in their offensive play as well.
Scorers for Cork: Paul Condon 0-6 (0-3f), Conor Flanagan 0-3 (0-1f), Mark Sugrue (0-1 ’45), Shane Beston (0-1f), Seamus Hickey 0-2 each.
Scorers for Limerick: John Mullane 0-10 (0-6f), Peter Nash, Jason Mullins, Andy Murphy 0-1 each.
CORK
1. Pat Kirby (Tadhg MacCarthaigh)
2. John McLoughlin (Kanturk)
3. Sean Murphy (Ballydesmond)
4. Matthew O’Shea (Glengarriff)
5. Niall McCarthy (Kinsale)
6. Jeffrey Daly (Fermoy)
7. Brendan Withers (Lyre)
8. Fionn O’Shea (Clyda Rovers)
9. James Kind (Passage)
10. Conor Flanagan (Passaage)
11. Brian Coughlan (Kinsale)
12. Mark Sugrue (Bandon)
13. Shane Beston (Mitchelstown)
14. Paul Condon (Mayfield)
15. Seamus Hickey (Rockchapel)
Subs
22. John Dineen (Eire Og) for O’Shea (47)
24. Dave Pyne (Glanworth) for Coughlan (51)
18. Rory Buckley (Macroom) for Daly (56)
21. Anthony O’Connor (Knocknagree) for Beston (57)
20. Cillian Brosnan (Brian Dillons) for Kind (59)
LIMERICK
1. Gary Neville (St Patrick’s)
2. Mark Phelan (St Patrick’s)
3. Wayne Cronin (St Patrick’s)
4. Kevin Brosnan (Monagea)
5. Tony McCarthy (Kildimo Pallaskenry)
6. Pa Mullins (St Patrick’s)
16. Conor Sheehan (Cappamore)
8. Thomas Butler (Feohanagh-Castlemahon)
9. Colin Madden (Bruff)
17. Andy Murphy (Cappamore)
11. Peter Nash (Kildimo Pallaskenry)
12. John Mullane (St Patrick’s)
13. Jason Mullins (St Patrick’s)
14. Mike Fitzgibbon (Feohanagh Castlemahon)
15. Mark O’Sullivan (St Mary’s Sean Finns)
Subs
20. Bryan Hannigan (Feenagh Kilmeedy) for Brosnan (46)
23. Michael Geary (St Patrick’s) for O’Sullivan (53)
19. Eoin O’Donoghue (Cappamore) for Mullins (58)
Referee: David Grogan (Tipperary)
