THERE WILL BE an all-Cork Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final in Belfast next Friday after Cork IT proved far too strong at home to NUI Galway this afternoon.
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Seven unanswered points at the start of the second half, opening up a 1-17 to 0-7 lead, put the game firmly in CIT’s grasp after the visitors had finished the first period well and once David Drake rifled in a second goal in the 49th minute the outcome was decided.
CIT, managed by former Cork captain Pat Mulcahy, can take a lot of positives from the game, not least having nine different scorers, with four of those – John O’Dwyer, Daniel Dooley, John Cronin and Michael O’Sullivan – getting four points or more.
Bill Cooper’s 11th-minute goal, poking a Dooley pass past Kevin Flynn, capped a wonderful opening to open up a 1-6 to 0-1 lead, but NUIG, inspired by Niall O’Brien’s free-taking, managed to stage a mini-revival.
They had cut the gap to five points, 1-9 to 0-7, as half-time loomed, and but for a Stephen Nyhan save from Brendan Phelan, it would have been even closer. As it was, a point from excellent midfielder O’Sullivan ended CIT’s drought before the break and they started the second half in fine form.
O’Dywer was on song from frees throughout and O’Sullivan, Dooley and Cronin all pointed as they began to pull away. Then Drake – who had been brilliant throughout without scoring until then – wrapped things up with a superb shot to the top corner after controlling the ball beautifully from sub Kevin Hallissey’s pass.
They now face neighbours UCC in a repeat of the 2012 final.
Scorers for Cork IT: John O’Dwyer 0-7 (0-2f, 0-1 65), Daniel Dooley, John Cronin, Michael O’Sullivan 0-4 each, David Drake, Bill Cooper 1-0 each, Eoin Keane, Conor Hammersley, Kevin Hallissey 0-1 each.
Scorers for NUI Galway: Niall O’Brien 0-5 (0-3f, 0-1 65), Robbie Greville, Gerard O’Donoghue 0-2 each, John Paul O’Connell, Eoin O’Farrell 0-1 each.
CORK IT (Cork unless stated): Stephen Nyhan; Stephen Murphy, Alan Dennehy, Tomás Lawrence; Eoin Keane, Mark Ellis, Pádraig Butler; David Corbett (Tipperary), Michael O’Sullivan; Conor Hammersley (Tipperary), John Cronin, Bill Cooper; John O’Dwyer (Tipperary), Daniel Dooley, David Drake.
Subs: Kevin Hallissey for Dooley (45), William Murphy for O’Sullivan, Micheál Russell for Ellis, Michael O’Brien (Tipperary) for O’Dwyer (all 51).
NUI GALWAY (Galway unless stated): Kevin Flynn (Tipperary); David Magner (Offaly), John Hansbury, Cormac Diviney; Eoin Teagle, Dean Higgins, Gerard Forde; John Paul O’Connell, Niall O’Brien (Westmeath); Kevin Downes (Limerick), Billy Lane, Robbie Greville (Westmeath); Gerard O’Donoghue, Brendan Phelan (Waterford), David Reidy (Clare).
Subs: Michael Mullins for Lane (36), Gordon Joyce (Cork) for Magner (40), Eoin O’Farrell (Cork) for O’Brien (43, injured), Eoin Fahy for Diviney (46), Shane Cooney for O’Donoghue (53).
Cork IT crush NUIG to set up semi-final showdown against neighbours UCC
Cork IT 2-22
NUI Galway 0-11
THERE WILL BE an all-Cork Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final in Belfast next Friday after Cork IT proved far too strong at home to NUI Galway this afternoon.
Seven unanswered points at the start of the second half, opening up a 1-17 to 0-7 lead, put the game firmly in CIT’s grasp after the visitors had finished the first period well and once David Drake rifled in a second goal in the 49th minute the outcome was decided.
CIT, managed by former Cork captain Pat Mulcahy, can take a lot of positives from the game, not least having nine different scorers, with four of those – John O’Dwyer, Daniel Dooley, John Cronin and Michael O’Sullivan – getting four points or more.
Bill Cooper’s 11th-minute goal, poking a Dooley pass past Kevin Flynn, capped a wonderful opening to open up a 1-6 to 0-1 lead, but NUIG, inspired by Niall O’Brien’s free-taking, managed to stage a mini-revival.
They had cut the gap to five points, 1-9 to 0-7, as half-time loomed, and but for a Stephen Nyhan save from Brendan Phelan, it would have been even closer. As it was, a point from excellent midfielder O’Sullivan ended CIT’s drought before the break and they started the second half in fine form.
O’Dywer was on song from frees throughout and O’Sullivan, Dooley and Cronin all pointed as they began to pull away. Then Drake – who had been brilliant throughout without scoring until then – wrapped things up with a superb shot to the top corner after controlling the ball beautifully from sub Kevin Hallissey’s pass.
They now face neighbours UCC in a repeat of the 2012 final.
Scorers for Cork IT: John O’Dwyer 0-7 (0-2f, 0-1 65), Daniel Dooley, John Cronin, Michael O’Sullivan 0-4 each, David Drake, Bill Cooper 1-0 each, Eoin Keane, Conor Hammersley, Kevin Hallissey 0-1 each.
Scorers for NUI Galway: Niall O’Brien 0-5 (0-3f, 0-1 65), Robbie Greville, Gerard O’Donoghue 0-2 each, John Paul O’Connell, Eoin O’Farrell 0-1 each.
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).
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