THE DEFENDING MUNSTER champions live to fight another day – against Clare in a fortnight in the provincial final – but not before they were put through the wringer by a Cork team that will be sick that they couldn’t land the knock-out blow.
The Rebels went toe to toe and score for score for the best part of 90 minutes with the Kingdom, but it was a brilliant goal from Joe O’Connor that rescued the win for the visitors in front of 14,358 spectators under Saturday night lights in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
Against all expectations, the Rebels mounted an Easter rising that Kerry manager Jack O’Connor had forewarned would come, and in the end it took O’Connor’s goal in the 86th minute to get the champions off the ropes.
Kerry needed just 20 seconds to score their first point through Ruairi Murphy, but Cork were back on terms within four minutes through Mark Cronin.
David Clifford and Chris Óg Jones traded points, but then Kerry put together five unanswered points as the reigning champions threatened to run away with it.
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O’Driscoll’s two-pointer momentarily pulled Cork back into the contest, but two more David Clifford points, either side of one from Paul Geaney, had Kerry in a 0-10 to 0-4 lead after 21 minutes.
Kerry lost goalkeeper Shane Ryan to injury after a goalmouth clash with Brian Hurley, but Kerry kicked on with another Paul Geaney score to open up a seven-point lead.
Ian Maguire and O’Driscoll knocked over a point apiece, and then O’Driscoll scored his second two-pointer to cut the gap to three. Mark Cronin converted a ‘45’ to leave it 0-11 to 0-9 at half time.
Hurley’s two-point free early in the second half levelled the score, but scores from Sean O’Shea, the Geaneys, the Cliffords and Barry Dan O’Sullivan pushed Kerry into a 0-17 to 0-12 lead.
Hurley pointed for Cork but Kerry struck for a goal, with Paul Geaney netting beyond Micheal Aodh Martin to put the Kingdom seven clear.
Paudie Clifford was red carded for a clumsily high tackle on Matty Taylor, Cathail O’Mahony and Sean McDonnell converted two-pointers and Chris Óg Jones raided a 61st minute goal.
Two minutes later Ruairi Deane kicked Cork into the lead for the first time, but it was short-lived – Sean O’Shea scoring Kerry’s second goal to make it 2-17 to 1-18. Back came Cork with Cronin (free) and Eoghan McSweeney scoring to send the game to extra-time.
David Clifford scored a free and a two-pointer for Kerry to take a 2-20 to 1-21 lead into the changeover, with Cork reduced to 14 men after Sean Brady was red carded.
Points from Jones and a two-pointer from McSweeney put Cork in fron, 1-24 to 2-20, and then Killian Spillane and Conor Cahalane traded points.
Penalties were looking a distinct possibility and few outside the whitewash would have complained, but then O’Connor struck arguably the sweetest shot of the game to beat Martin for the third time and sealed the win for Kerry, and set them up for a Munster final against Clare in Killarney in a fortnight.
Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford 0-9 (2p, 1f), P Geaney 1-3, S O’Shea 1-1, J O’Connor 1-1, P Clifford 0-2, D Geaney 0-2, R Murphy 0-1, B D O’Sullivan 0-1, K Spillane 0-1
Scorers for Cork: B O’Driscoll 0-5 (2 2p), C Og Jones 1-3, S McDonnell 0-3 (2p), B Hurley 0-3 (2pf), M Cronin 0-3 (1f, 1 ’45’), E McSweeney 0-3 (2p), C O’Mahony 0-2 (2p), I Maguire 0-1, R Deane 0-1, C Cahalane 0-1
KERRY: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Gavin White, Tadhg Morley; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Ruairí Murphy, Paudie Clifford, Graham O’Sullivan, David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney.
Subs: Sean O’Brien for B D O’Sullivan (temp, 13-14), Armin Heinrich for G White (temp, 14-22), Shane Murphy for S Ryan (inj, 24), Sean O’Sheaa for R Murphy (ht), Damien Bourke for P Murphy (ht), Tony Brosnan for P Geaney (60), Sean O’Brien for B D O’Sullivan (65), Killian Spillane for D Geaney (et), Micheal Burns for G O’Sullivan (et, 77), A Heinrich for B O Beaglaoich (et, 81)
CORK: Micheál Aodh Martin, Seán Brady, Daniel O’Mahony, Tommy Walsh, Brian O’Driscoll, Rory Maguire, Matty Taylor, Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan, Paul Walsh, Seán Powter, Seán McDonnell, Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley, Chris Óg Jones.
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Subs: Maurice Shanley for T Walsh (14), Ruairi Deane for S Powter (47), Eoghan McSweeney for P Walsh (52), Cathail O’Mahony for B Hurley (59), Neil Lorden for M Shanley (65), Sean Walsh for I Maguire (et, 77), Conor Cahalane for S McDonnell (77), Hugh O’Connor for M Cronin (et, ht), Darragh Cashman for R Deane (temp, 83-ft)
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Kerry narrowly hold off Cork heroics to return to Munster final after extra-time battle
LAST UPDATE | 19 Apr
Kerry 3-21
Cork 1-25
(After extra-time)
THE DEFENDING MUNSTER champions live to fight another day – against Clare in a fortnight in the provincial final – but not before they were put through the wringer by a Cork team that will be sick that they couldn’t land the knock-out blow.
The Rebels went toe to toe and score for score for the best part of 90 minutes with the Kingdom, but it was a brilliant goal from Joe O’Connor that rescued the win for the visitors in front of 14,358 spectators under Saturday night lights in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
Against all expectations, the Rebels mounted an Easter rising that Kerry manager Jack O’Connor had forewarned would come, and in the end it took O’Connor’s goal in the 86th minute to get the champions off the ropes.
Kerry needed just 20 seconds to score their first point through Ruairi Murphy, but Cork were back on terms within four minutes through Mark Cronin.
David Clifford and Chris Óg Jones traded points, but then Kerry put together five unanswered points as the reigning champions threatened to run away with it.
O’Driscoll’s two-pointer momentarily pulled Cork back into the contest, but two more David Clifford points, either side of one from Paul Geaney, had Kerry in a 0-10 to 0-4 lead after 21 minutes.
Kerry lost goalkeeper Shane Ryan to injury after a goalmouth clash with Brian Hurley, but Kerry kicked on with another Paul Geaney score to open up a seven-point lead.
Ian Maguire and O’Driscoll knocked over a point apiece, and then O’Driscoll scored his second two-pointer to cut the gap to three. Mark Cronin converted a ‘45’ to leave it 0-11 to 0-9 at half time.
Hurley’s two-point free early in the second half levelled the score, but scores from Sean O’Shea, the Geaneys, the Cliffords and Barry Dan O’Sullivan pushed Kerry into a 0-17 to 0-12 lead.
Hurley pointed for Cork but Kerry struck for a goal, with Paul Geaney netting beyond Micheal Aodh Martin to put the Kingdom seven clear.
Paudie Clifford was red carded for a clumsily high tackle on Matty Taylor, Cathail O’Mahony and Sean McDonnell converted two-pointers and Chris Óg Jones raided a 61st minute goal.
Two minutes later Ruairi Deane kicked Cork into the lead for the first time, but it was short-lived – Sean O’Shea scoring Kerry’s second goal to make it 2-17 to 1-18. Back came Cork with Cronin (free) and Eoghan McSweeney scoring to send the game to extra-time.
David Clifford scored a free and a two-pointer for Kerry to take a 2-20 to 1-21 lead into the changeover, with Cork reduced to 14 men after Sean Brady was red carded.
Points from Jones and a two-pointer from McSweeney put Cork in fron, 1-24 to 2-20, and then Killian Spillane and Conor Cahalane traded points.
Penalties were looking a distinct possibility and few outside the whitewash would have complained, but then O’Connor struck arguably the sweetest shot of the game to beat Martin for the third time and sealed the win for Kerry, and set them up for a Munster final against Clare in Killarney in a fortnight.
Scorers for Kerry: D Clifford 0-9 (2p, 1f), P Geaney 1-3, S O’Shea 1-1, J O’Connor 1-1, P Clifford 0-2, D Geaney 0-2, R Murphy 0-1, B D O’Sullivan 0-1, K Spillane 0-1
Scorers for Cork: B O’Driscoll 0-5 (2 2p), C Og Jones 1-3, S McDonnell 0-3 (2p), B Hurley 0-3 (2pf), M Cronin 0-3 (1f, 1 ’45’), E McSweeney 0-3 (2p), C O’Mahony 0-2 (2p), I Maguire 0-1, R Deane 0-1, C Cahalane 0-1
KERRY: Shane Ryan; Paul Murphy, Jason Foley, Dylan Casey; Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Gavin White, Tadhg Morley; Joe O’Connor, Barry Dan O’Sullivan; Ruairí Murphy, Paudie Clifford, Graham O’Sullivan, David Clifford, Paul Geaney, Dylan Geaney.
Subs: Sean O’Brien for B D O’Sullivan (temp, 13-14), Armin Heinrich for G White (temp, 14-22), Shane Murphy for S Ryan (inj, 24), Sean O’Sheaa for R Murphy (ht), Damien Bourke for P Murphy (ht), Tony Brosnan for P Geaney (60), Sean O’Brien for B D O’Sullivan (65), Killian Spillane for D Geaney (et), Micheal Burns for G O’Sullivan (et, 77), A Heinrich for B O Beaglaoich (et, 81)
CORK: Micheál Aodh Martin, Seán Brady, Daniel O’Mahony, Tommy Walsh, Brian O’Driscoll, Rory Maguire, Matty Taylor, Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan, Paul Walsh, Seán Powter, Seán McDonnell, Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley, Chris Óg Jones.
Subs: Maurice Shanley for T Walsh (14), Ruairi Deane for S Powter (47), Eoghan McSweeney for P Walsh (52), Cathail O’Mahony for B Hurley (59), Neil Lorden for M Shanley (65), Sean Walsh for I Maguire (et, 77), Conor Cahalane for S McDonnell (77), Hugh O’Connor for M Cronin (et, ht), Darragh Cashman for R Deane (temp, 83-ft)
Referee: Barry Tiernan (Dublin)
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