Cork v Mayo
ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISION I: CORK 1-18 MAYO 0-12
By Denis Hurley at Páirc Ui Rinn
Despite conceding the last five points and finishing with 13 men, Cork still enjoyed a comfortable win over Mayo in the opening round of the Allianz Football League Division I at Páirc Uí Rinn on Sunday.
When Brian Hurley rolled a penalty to the net in the 57th minute, it put Peadar Healy’s side 1-18 to 0-07 in front. They wouldn’t score again and Mayo did put some window-dressing on the scoreline as Evan Regan, Conor O’Shea, Tom Parsons (two) and Mickey Sweeney all pointed while Cork lost Brian O’Driscoll to a black card and Andrew O’Sullivan to a second yellow, but it was all academic at that late stage.
Bar an even opening in front of 4,849 people in which two points were shared, Cork were always dominant. Eoin Cadogan excelled at full-back, Tomás Clancy was prominent at left half-back and new captain Paul Kerrigan sparkled in the half-forward line as Mayo were put on the back foot.
Three points in quick succession, two by Brian Hurley and one from Clancy, put them 0-5 to 0-2 in front, though Jason Doherty went close to cancelling out that advantage, shooting across goal and wide from Evan Regan’s nice pass.
Kerrigan, on the end of a flowing move, put Cork four in front and, while Conor O’Shea responded for Mayo, Cork would outscore them by six to one for the remainder of the half.
Hurley and Daniel Goulding were on song in the full-forward line and helped themselves to scores, with Mayo introducing Aidan O’Shea on the half-hour in a bid to stem the flow.
Cork were 0-12 to 0-4 in front by the half-time interval and five points on the trot upon the resumption served to put the game beyond Mayo, with Ian Maguire, Hurley, Kerrigan, Luke Connolly with a superb free and Brian O’Driscoll all on target. Indeed, the lead would have been more but for a Robert Hennelly save from Daniel Goulding’s 45th-minute penalty, the goalkeeper redeeming himself after he had fouled Kerrigan.
Mayo did rouse themselves as Conor O’Shea, Regan and Sweeney brought them to within ten points, but Cork nipped any comeback thoughts in the bud. Kerrigan bustled through to add his third point en route to the man of the match award, and then they were awarded another penalty, Michael Hall dragging Mark Collins down as he was about to shoot.
Hurley sent Hennelly the wrong way to bring his personal tally to 1-4. The Cork intensity levels may have dropped in the closing stages, but they had done more than enough.
Scorers for Cork: B Hurley 1-4 (3f), D Goulding 0-5 (2f), P Kerrigan 0-3, B O'Driscoll 0-2, L Connolly 0-2 (2f), T Clancy 0-1, I Maguire 0-1
**Scorers for Mayo: **C O’Shea 0-3, T Parsons 0-2, J Doherty 0-2 (1f), M Sweeney 0-2 (1f), E Regan 0-2 (2f), L Keegan 0-1
CORK: K O’Halloran; K Histon, E Cadogan, J O’Sullivan; C O’Driscoll, B O’Driscoll, Tomás Clancy (Fermoy); I Maguire, A O’Sullivan; P Kerrigan, L Connolly, Mark Collins (Castlehaven); D Goulding, P Kelleher, B Hurley. Subs: B Daly for Cadogan (51, injured), D Óg Hodnett for Kerrigan (57), R Deane for Maguire (58), S Hickey for Connolly, D Mac Eoin for Kelleher (both 63), Mark Collins (O’Donovan Rossa) for Histon (66).
MAYO: R Hennelly; L Keegan, G Cafferkey, B Harrison; S Nally, D Vaughan, C Boyle; T Parsons, J Gibbons; D O’Connor, K McLoughlin, C Crowe; E Regan, C O’Shea, J Doherty. Subs: A O’Shea for McLoughlin (30), M Sweeney for Crowe (44), D Drake for Vaughan (both 44), M Hall for Nally, C Carolan for O’Connor (both 59), P O’Hora for Keegan (62).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
