Sending off costs Cork dearly

Waterford 4-19 Cork 0-20

THIS game can be split into two periods – for the first 57 minutes, Cork led by two points but for the remainder of the game Waterford outscored them by 3-6 to 0-2.

Reduced to 14 men when Damien Cahalane was sent off on a second yellow card in the 52nd minute, Cork saw their one-point lead lost as Pauric Mahony (free) and Austin Gleeson put Waterford 1-13 to 0-15 ahead.

Cork weren’t done, though. Darragh Fitzgibbon had really come into the game at midfield and, after Alan Cadogan levelled, the Charleville midfielder was fouled for a free which Patrick Horgan converted to restore the lead.

From Stephen O’Keeffe’s puckout, Mark Coleman palmed the ball to Horgan, who was still in the same spot and his massive effort – his 12th point – made it 0-18 to 1-13 as the Cork fans began to find a defiant voice. Alas, that was to prove to be the last high point of the game.

When Cork wing-back Christopher Joyce picked up possession close to goal, Austin Gleeson pressurised him in the left corner and deftly secured a turnover. He looked up and expertly picked out Jamie Barron, who had made a great run, and the midfielder fired to the net, switching the lead for the final time.

Conor Gleeson followed with a point immediately and then Maurice Shanahan and Pauric Mahony worked the ball to Austin Gleeson, who produced an incredible slalom through the Cork defence, shimmying and dummying before flicking the ball past Anthony Nash with something bordering on insouciance.

Another Pauric Mahony free meant that it was 2-2 to 0-0 in a five-minute period, with no way back for Cork, Barron getting his second and Waterford’s fourth goal late on to put a somewhat lopsided complexion on things.

The first half had been a far more even affair, even though Cork weren’t at the same levels of fluency as in the Munster championship. Horgan produced one of his best-ever performances in a Cork jersey, two early points giving a 0-2 to 0-1 lead before Michael Walsh put Waterford ahead with a goal following Shane Bennett’s pass.

The goal didn’t rock Cork though and Shane Kingston and Horgan both had good points as they responded, Alan Cadogan also on target before Horgan tied matters at 0-6 to 1-3 in the 19th minute.

Alongside Barron, Kevin Moran at midfield was continuing the excellent form he has shown all year and his third point of the game put Waterford ahead once more, but Horgan’s fifth, an absolutely super effort, and his sixth, a free, had Cork in front again.

Waterford might have resumed supremacy when Walsh’s great aerial allowed him to lay the ball off to Pauric Mahony, who went for goal only for Nash to save brilliantly. Advantage had accrued and Mahony levelled from the free, repeating the feat moments later after Cahalane shipped a booking for a foul on Austin Gleeson.

Barron, after more good work by Walsh, opened up a two-point lead as half-time approached with Cork’s uneasiness shown by the fact that Nash’s subsequent puck-out went over Mark Ellis’s head and Horgan missed two consecutive frees.

He responded to get his seventh in the 35th minute and Cork might have been level at the break but for Conor Lehane’s effort to tail narrowly wide. Even so, they were well in the game as the second half dawned with plenty of room for improvement.

Horgan had the game tied again soon after the restart and, after Mahony put Waterford ahead again, the Glen Rovers man added another before Lehane got off the mark.

It remained nip and tuck, with Fitzgibbon’s pointed sideline cut putting Cork 0-14 to 1-10 in front on 48 and Séamus Harnedy getting on the score-sheet after Mahony had levelled again.

Cahalane’s second booking came immediately after that for a foul on sub Maurice Shanahan and the fear was that Cork wouldn’t be able to hold out. For five minutes, they gave the impression that they wouldn’t have any problems on that front.

Unfortunately, Barron’s goal had a dam-bursting effect and Cork’s year came to an abrupt halt. Horgan and Conor Gleeson were both sent off in the closing stages after an off-the-ball incident, and the latter may be affected ahead of a novel final pairing against Galway.

Scorers

WATERFORD: Pauric Mahony 0-8 (5f), Jamie Barron 2-1, Austin Gleeson 1-2, Kevin Moran 0-4, Michael Walsh 1-0, Conor Gleeson, Darragh Fives, Brian O’Halloran, Maurice Shanahan 0-1 each CORK: Patrick Horgan 0-12 (7f), Alan Cadogan, Conor Lehane 0-2 each, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Séamus Harnedy, Shane Kingston, Luke O’Farrell 0-1 each

WATERFORD: Stephen O’Keeffe; Shane Fives, Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors; Darragh Fives; Kieran Bennett, Conor Gleeson, Philip Mahony; Jamie Barron, Conor Gleeson; Michael Walsh, Austin Gleeson, Pauric Mahony; Jake Dillon, Shane Bennett Subs: Maurice Shanahan for Dillon (46), Brian O’Halloran for Shane Bennett (55), Tommy Ryan for Walsh (59), Colin Dunford for Pauric Mahony (69), Patrick Curran for Barron (70)

CORK: Anthony Nash (Kanturk); Stephen McDonnell (Glen Rovers), Damien Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), Colm Spillane (Castlelyons); Christopher Joyce (Na Piarsaigh), Mark Ellis (Millstreet), Mark Coleman (Blarney); Bill Cooper (Youghal), Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville); Luke Meade (Newcestown), Conor Lehane (Midleton), Shane Kingston (Douglas); Alan Cadogan (Douglas), Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers), Séamus Harnedy (St Ita’s) Subs: Michael Cahalane (Bandon) for Meade (half-time, injured), Luke O’Farrell (Midleton) for Cadogan, Daniel Kearney (Sarsfields) for Cooper (both 65)

REFEREE: James Owens (Wexford)