All-Ireland SFC quarter-final - Cork 1-16 Roscommon 0-10:Cork, as expected, progress to the All-Ireland semi final against Dublin on August 22nd but they may have lost their captain Graham Canty to injury.
They travelled in their thousands from Roscommon today to witness what turned out to be a fairly bloodless coup as the Rebels landed the killer blow on 63 minutes when the impressive Pearse O’Neill powered home the goal that created a seven- point cushion.
Roscommon looked a spent force after an industrious hour holding pace with their vastly superior opponents.
The reward for the Connacht champions’ high work-rate took a while in coming with Cork tip-toeing into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead as Daniel Goulding delivered the opening three scores, but Roscommon replied when Donie Shine landed a mammoth point from out by the left sideline.
Conor Counihan trusted his All Star fullback Michael Shields with the lone man-marking duties on Shine.
It worked out initially but Shields was yellow carded just before the break by Cormac Reilly for fouling Shine, who kicked the resulting free to reduce matters to the minimum, 0-6 to 0-5.
It meant a switch to centreback with Canty handed the responsibility of shadowing Roscommon’s major scoring threat.
Cork seemed content to wait for opportunities to come as Paul Kerrigan and Ciaran Sheehan also contributed to the scoring. O’Gara and John Rodgers kept the Connacht champions in touch.
Counihan, clearly unhappy with what was unfolding, made three changes at the break as John Miskella, Nicholas Murphy and Donnacha O’Connor were sent in for Jamie O’Sullivan, Aidan Walsh and Colm O’Neill.
The switches failed to have an immediate effect as Shine set up Karol Mannion for the equalising score and then, dramatically, Finneran put them ahead.
Within a minute Sheehan levelled matters but the stadium was alive to another possible upset to follow on from yesterday’s double surprise.
But the new favourites for the All-Ireland steadied themselves with Goulding and O’Connor points putting them back in control.
Canty put them four points clear when he abandoned his post to punch over, only to crumble to the deck clutching his left leg, making him a serious doubt for their date with Dublin in three week’s time.
CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, J OSullivan; N OLeary, G Canty (capt), P Kissane; D Kavanagh, A Walsh; P Kerrigan, P ONeill, P Kelly; D Goulding, C Sheehan, C ONeill. Substitutes: J Miskella for J OSullivan, D OConnor for C ONeill, N Murphy for A Walsh (half-time), A OConnor for D Kavanagh (51 mins), E Cotter for G Canty (57 mins)
ROSCOMMON: G Claffey; S McDermott, P Domican (capt), S Ormsby; S Purcell, C Dineen, D Casey; M Finneran, K Mannion; D Keenan, D OGara, C Cregg; J Rogers, D Shine, G Heneghan. Substitutes: C Garvey for S Purcell (48 mins), K Higgins for J Rodgers (51 mins), E Kenny for K Mannion (54 mins), J Dunning for C Cregg (61 mins), J Nolan for D Casey (65 mins)
Referee: C Reilly (Meath).