No better way to win a semi-’final’

Cork 0-23 Dublin 2-13

A FIRST All-Ireland minor final in a decade awaits for Cork after 13 points from Brian Turnbull helped to secured an at-timesnervy win over Dublin in Croke Park on Sunday.

Having been so impressive in seeing off Clare in the Munster final in July, the Rebels found it difficult to rediscover that fluency here after a five-week lay-off, compounded by the absence of star attacker Evan Sheehan.

Nevertheless, they ground out the win despite playing the last quarter with 14 men. Manager Denis Ring didn’t attempt to sugarcoat the level of performance, but he was also pragmatic about how the game would be perceived.

“Semi-finals are to be won, simple as that,” he said.

“There are a lot of things in our performance we wouldn’t be happy about. Our defending could have been better, we let them in and we drew them on us a little bit, we lived on our nerves a little bit.

“Having said that, all of us in the management team couldn’t speak highly enough of the lads and the resolve they showed. In the last quarter when we were down a man, any time they scored we seemed to go up the field and get another one. To be fair, Brian Turnbull was a leader in that department, hugely important to us.

“There’s a huge amount of improvement required, but that’s what a semi-final is about. In the last five weeks, maybe we didn’t have them together as much as we’d have liked to but now we’ve three weeks to do something about it.”

Eleven of Turnbull’s points were frees, but many were won by the Douglas attacker himself, while midfield duo Daire Connery and Brian Roche also processed a lot of ball.

Dublin’s attacking star turn was full-forward Seán Currie, whose two early points put them 0-2 to 0-1 in front, but Cork responded with six scores in a row to assume a lead they would not relinquish.

Diarmuid Linehan and Ger Millerick joined Turnbull in extending that advantage to 0-11 to 0-4 as half-time approached but just before the break Eoghan O’Neill struck with a kicked effort to keep Dublin in touch.

Connery’s third started the second half on a good note for Cork and though Dublin won a penalty goalkeeper Conor O’Donoghue put his effort wide.

Turnbull (three) and Connery extended the lead as Grogan got Dublin’s only score in response. Liam Murphy’s free brought Dublin to within seven, 0-17 to 1-7, and then Cork suffered a blow as full-forward Robert Downey was sent off on a second booking.

Frees from Currie brought Dublin closer and he might have got in for a goal but for good defending by Millerick, but Turnbull was on hand to add points as Cork ensured they kept their opponents at arm’s length.

Turnbull’s 12th in the 62nd minute made it 0-22 to 1-13 to A swashbuckling performance in a semi-final is worth nothing. All people remember is who was in a final

ensure they wouldn’t be beaten, but Dublin had a glimmer of hope when Mark Grogan touched Currie’s delivery to the net.

From the puck-out though, Turnbull secured possession and, off balance out on the left, he split the posts with a magnificent effort to set up a final meeting against Galway. A good way to be going in?

“There is no better way,” Ring said.

“A swashbuckling performance in a semi-final is worth nothing. All people remember is who was in a final and, to be honest, all people really remember is who wins the final. I’d prefer to be in a game like this and winning it rather than being in a classic and losing by a point.

“I was very proud of the resolve the lads showed near the end. What epitomises the whole performance was that Dublin got the goal at the end but we went down, worked the ball to Brian Turnbull, he was pushed, went on and hit the ball off-balance over the bar on his left-hand side. It was exactly the same in the Munster semi-final replay against Tipperary.”

Ideally, Ring would envisage having full access to his panel between now and the big day. “It’s essential, really,” he said. “You could see the benefit of them being together and the momentum they had gathered, going from the Tipp games to the Clare game. There was that bit of a drop today and it’s essential we have that chance ahead of the final.

“Everybody is going in with eyes wide open and everyone knows what’s to be done. Galway are good, we’re acutely aware of that, we’ve seen them play.” Scorers

CORK: Brian Turnbull 0-13 (11f), Daire Connery 0-5 (2f), Brian Roche 0-2, Ger Millerick, Diarmuid Linehan, Brian Buckley 0-1 each

DUBLIN: Seán Currie 0-6 (3f), Mark Grogan, Eoghan O’Neill 1-1 each, Liam Murphy 0-4 (3f), Emmet Allen 0-1

CORK: Ger Collins (Ballinhassig); Conor O’Callaghan (Dromtarriffe), Seán O’Leary Hayes (Midleton), Eoin Roche (Bride Rovers); Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), James Keating (Kildorrery), Aaron Walsh Barry (Carrigtwohill); Daire Connery (Na Piarsaigh), Brian Roche (Bride Rovers); Brian Buckley (Dromina), Craig Hanafin (Na Piarsaigh), Diarmuid Linehan (Ballyhooly); Liam O’Shea (Lisgoold), Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), Brian Turnbull (Douglas) Subs: Barry Murphy (Castlelyons) for Hanafin (48), Declan Hanlon (Blarney) for Buckley (49), Colin O’Brien (Liscarroll Churchtown Gaels) for B Roche (60)

DUBLIN: Conor O’Donoghue; Ben McHugh, Kevin Burke, Andrew Dunphy; Enda O’Connell, Luke Walsh, Lee Gannon; David Keogh, Ben Coffey; Diarmuid Ó Floinn, Mark Grogan, Eoghan O’Neill; Liam Murphy, Seán Currie, Luke McDwyer Subs: Shane Kennedy for McDwyer (half-time), Emmet Allen for Coffey, Cian Derwin for Ó Floinn (52), Tom Aherne for O’Donnell (60)

REFEREE: Mick Murtagh (Westmeath)