Cork 3-19 Monaghan 2-10
Cork completed a memorable day in O’Connor Park in Tullamore when their minor footballers had a convincing win over a brave Monaghan side to earn a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals.
It wasn’t plain sailing but there was no disputing the merit of Cork’s win. The game had turned with two decisive goals for Cork coming up towards half-time. Until then, there had been almost nothing separating them.
In a real free-flowing, end-to-end tussle, the sides were level on six occasions and were tied on 0-6 each by the 23rd minute. Then Cork edged ahead with a Michael O'Neill point that was followed in the 26th minute by an excellent goal – Jack Cahalane and Conor Corbett combined to send O'Neill in for the three pointer.
Sloppy defending led to a second goal a minute later, this time Corbett’s shot just getting in under Joe Kirk in the Monaghan goal.
Cork went 2-8 to 0-6 ahead before Monaghan got the final points to trail by 2-8 to 0-8 at the break – with the wind to come in the second half, the odds favoured Cork.
In the second half, Monaghan were twice handed a lifeline of sorts with penalties, both expertly dispatched by Liam McDonald in the 35th and 46th minutes. These left them trailing by 1-8 to 2-10 and 2-8 to 2-12 but they never got close enough to truly trouble a very impressive Cork.
Both sides finished with 14 men as Cork's Daniel Peet and Monaghan's Karl Gallagher went for two yellows and a straight red near the end as Patrick Campbell got an injury-time goal for the winners.
CORK: C O'Leary; A Walsh-Murphy (0-1), D Linehan (0-2), D Peet; D Cashman (0-1), N Lordan, J O'Shea; J Lawton, K Scannell (0-1); H Murphy, C Corbett (1-3, 2f), E Nash; M O'Neill (1-3, two frees), P Campbell (1-5, four frees), J Cahalane.
Subs: R O'Donovan (0-3, one free) for O'Neill (36 mins), K O'Driscoll for Cahalane (55), S Andrews for Cashman (59), L Murphy for Walsh-Murphy (62), T O'Donoghue for Campbell (64).
MONAGHAN: J Kirk; C Maguire, R Boyle, S Hanratty; K Connolly, E Duffy (0-1), S Slevin; C McKernan, D Treanor; D Marron (0-1), K Gallagher, M Hamill; D Dempsey (0-4), J Irwin (0-3, three frees), L McDonald (2-0, two penalties).
Subs: M Coyle for Marron (h/t), D Kerley for McKernan, A Stewart for Slevin (both 43 mins), A Brennan (0-1) for Stewart (b/c, 54), D McCahey for Maguire (56), D Courtney for Hamill (63).
Referee: L Devenney (Mayo).
