Cork Minor Footballers through to All-Ireland Final
August 10, 2019
Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football championship
CORK 4-12 MAYO 1-13
By Paul Keane at Croke Park - www.gaa.ie
A dream double of underage All-Ireland football titles remains a possibility for Cork after their minors surged through to the Electric Ireland minor decider.
Captain Conor Corbett's 2-03 blast at Croke Park helped secure a rare semi-final win at the grade for Cork who are through to a first final since 2010.
Their last title success came in 2000 and if they are to repeat that feat they will have to overcome Kerry or Galway on September 1.
Kerry, chasing a sixth consecutive minor title themselves, beat Cork in the Munster final and could face their neighbours again in what would be an intriguing national decider.
Mayo trailed by just two points at the three-quarter mark but were buried beneath an avalanche of goals as Daniel Linehan and then Corbett on two occasions raised green flags.
It was an impressive showing from Cork who have already won the All-Ireland U-20 title and are now just an hour from matching that feat at the minor grade.
But it's frustration for Mayo who arrived at Croke Park armed with momentum after taking out Dublin in the quarter-finals with a five-goal blast.
Cork also displayed an ability to hit the net freely in their quarter-final win over Monaghan, doing so three times, and should have scored more than just one in the first-half here.
Man of the Match Patrick Campbell got it in the seventh minute, adding to an earlier point he'd clipped and propelling Cork to a 1-1 to 0-1 lead.
Mayo struggled on their kick-outs initially and the Campbell goal came from Jack Cahalane intercepting a short kick-out and feeding the Nemo Rangers forward.
Cahalane had a goal chance himself in the ninth minute that Mayo defender Oisin Tunney blocked and Hugh Murphy blasted over in the 14th minute when a goal was on.
Murphy kicked two first-half points and another from skipper Corbett in the 24th minute left Cork with a 1-7 to 0-4 lead.
Mayo finished the half stronger though and three points in a row, two from the excellent Paddy Heneghan, left them just three back at the break, 1-7 to 0-7.
Heneghan scored four points in total and Mayo reduced the deficit to just two points on a number of occasions in the third quarter of the game.
But that was as good as it got for them with Linehan's 46th minute goal for Cork leaving five in it again.
Sub Ryan O'Donovan added a point shortly after and suddenly Cork were six clear with Corbett then adding 50th and 65th minute goals to gloss the scoreline.
Mayo substitute Niall Feeney did pull back a consolation goal for them deep into stoppage time when he blasted a left foot shot from the left of goals to the far top corner.
The only other downside for Cork was a back spasm suffered by Campbell which forced his withdrawal for the game.
Cork scorers: Conor Corbett 2-3, Patrick Campbell 1-2, Daniel Linehan 1-0, Michael O'Neill 0-2 (0-1f), Hugh Murphy 0-2, Ryan O'Donovan 0-2, Jack Cahalane 0-1.
Mayo scorers: Paddy Heneghan 0-4, Niall Feeney 1-0, Ethan Henry 0-3 (0-3f), Frank Irwin 0-2, Ciaran Mylett 0-1 (0-1f), Owen McHale 0-1, Shaun Dempsey 0-1, John Grady 0-1 (0-1f).
CORK: Cian O'Leary; Joseph O'Shea, Daniel Peet, Neil Lordan; Kelan Scannell, Daniel Linehan, Darragh Cashman; Jack Lawton, Eoghan Nash; Hugh Murphy, Patrick Campbell, Adam Walsh Murphy; Michael O'Neill, Conor Corbett, Jack Cahalane. Subs: Sean Andrews for O'Shea (41), Ryan O'Donovan for O'Neill (41), Keith O'Driscoll for Campbell (50), Luke Murphy for Walsh Murphy (55), Shane Aherne for Hugh Murphy (58), Alan O'Hare for Cahalane (61).
MAYO: Luke Jennings; Oisin Tunney, Owen McHale, Alfie Morrison; Shaun Dempsey, Ruairi Keane, Eoin Gilraine; Ethan Henry, Mark Tighe; Aidan Cosgrove, Paddy Heneghan, Dylan Thornton; Ciaran Mylett, Frank Irwin, Paul Walsh. Subs: Rory Morrin for Mylett (36), John Grady for Dempsey (45), Ray Walsh for Cosgrove (51), Ronan Hughes for Tunney (57), Ciaran Boland for Gilraine (61), Niall Feeney for Walsh (61).
Referee: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh).