2023 Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final – Dublin 1-18 Cork 2-12

Dublin defeated Cork by 1-18 to 2-12 in the Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter-Final on Saturday June 10th at UPMC Nowlan Park Kilkenny.

Dublin come from six back to beat Cork in thrilling MFC quarter-final https://t.co/us7rI8Yh20

— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) June 10, 2023

Dublin come from six back to beat Cork in thrilling MFC quarter-final

All-Ireland MFC quarter-final

Dublin 1-18 Cork 2-12

Report by Eoghan Cormican for Irish Examiner newspaper

A sensational finish to this All-Ireland minor football quarter-final. A six-point Dublin deficit transformed into a three-point winning margin. A winning goal seven minutes into injury-time. An almost equalising Cork goal eight minutes into injury-time deflected just wide.

When Cork full-forward Seán Coakley converted a 42nd minute penalty to stop dead in its tracks rising Dublin momentum and shove the beaten Munster finalists 2-12 to 0-12 clear, Ray O’Mahony’s young charges were in pole position for a successful championship relaunch and an All-Ireland semi-final spot.

Cork, though, would not score again for the remainder of proceedings. Cork slowly retreated into themselves. Dublin slowly advanced forward and gradually began nibbling away at the six-point deficit in front of them.

A converted ’45 from sub Andrew O’Reilly on 58 minutes had them back within two, 2-12 to 0-16. When it was announced shortly after that there would be six minutes of injury-time, a roar went up from the capital following. They had the whiff of blood in their nostrils.

Lenny Cahill left the minimum between them at the beginning of the six additional minutes. And while the corner-forward subsequently dropped short an equalising free, parity was restored on 65 minutes. Sub Shane Mullarkey, with the left boot, showed commendable nerve.

Fast forward a minute and a half. A short Cork restart was given to full-back Frank Hurley. He offloaded to Niall O’Shea. The corner-back went to return possession to the goalkeeper, but Dublin’s Paddy Curry stole in and shook the net.

It was the first time Dublin had led this All-Ireland quarter-final since the 11th minute. Perfect timing.

There was somehow time for Cork to try and fashion an equaliser. But not before an episode of pushing and shoving in the middle of the field resulted in a second yellow for Dublin half-back Ryan Mitchell and black for Dublin centre-forward Luke O’Boyle. They’d finish with 13. They’d finish on top. Mark O’Brien’s equalising goal attempt was deflected narrowly wide of the target.

While Dublin made an amount of schoolboy errors throughout, in the end, it paled in comparison to Cork’s poor, poor game-management of their six-point lead. Their decision-making on the ball in the final quarter spoke to the fact that they are but 16 and 17-year-old lads.

It had been oh so different in the opening period.

A massively impressive and massively important 1-4 burst midway through the first half was at the root of Cork’s 1-10 to 0-8 interval lead.

Cork trailed by two, 0-5 to 0-3, when the young Rebels put their opponents into an eight-minute headlock. When they eventually let the Leinster champions up for air, Dublin found themselves five adrift. A seven-point swing.

The goal was a Seán Coakley point attempt on 12 minutes that didn’t have the legs. Denis O’Mullane caught the dropping ball ahead of Dublin ‘keeper Cillian Murray and finished. O’Mullane finished the half with 1-2 from play.

The first of Cork’s four unanswered points in this 1-4 sequence, supplied by Timothy Cullinane, came from an avoidable Dublin turnover in the middle third where Noah Byrne failed to hold possession. And that really was the story of the first half; Dublin cheaply and almost inexplicably coughing up possession, Cork clinical in punishing with a white flag.

Cork’s lead was greatest when swelling to seven – 1-10 to 0-6 – after a three-in-a-row from Dara Sheedy, Seán Coakley, and centre-back Gearóid Daly late in the half.

Dublin, mind, did claw back some ground just shy of the interval whistle. Paddy Curry’s point on 31 minutes was only their second since the 11th minute. Ryan Mitchell ate further into the margin and there should have been a Dublin three-in-a-row but corner-back Jack O’Sullivan skewed wide.

The finish to the second-half was a much happier one for those in sky blue.

Scorers for Dublin: P Curry (1-4); L Cahill (0-6, 0-4 frees); S Mullarkey (0-1 mark, 0-1 free), R Mitchell (0-2 each); J O’Sullivan, J Young, A O’Reilly (0-1 ‘45), H Curley (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: S Coakley (1-5, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); D O’Mullane (1-2); D Sheedy (0-2); G Daly, D Clifford, T Cullinane (0-1 each).

Dublin: C Murray (Ballyboden St Enda’s); S Keogh (St Vincent’s), C Emmett (Skerries Harps), J O’Sullivan (Clanna Gael Fontenoy); J Young (Castleknock), E Costello (St Jude’s), R Mitchell (Erin’s Isle); S Ryan (Clontarf), A Carolan (Parnells); P Coleman (Ballinteer St John’s), L O’Boyle (Clontarf), N Byrne (Kilmacud Crokes); P Curry (Ballyboden St Enda’s), H Curley (St Vincent’s), L Cahill (Castleknock).
Subs: S Mullarkey (Thomas Davis) for Coleman (37); A O’Reilly (Ballinteer St John’s) for Ryan (44); N O’Brien (St Peter’s) for Curley (50); C O’Connor (St Vincent’s) for Emmett (53, inj); C McAweeney (Raheny) for Young (66).

Cork: B Curtin (Valley Rovers); N O’Shea (Urhan), F Hurley (O’Donovan Rossa), M Ahern (St Finbarr’s); T Kiely (Doneraile), G Daly (Mallow), O Foley (Bishopstown); M O’Brien (Ballinora), D Clifford (Éire Óg); T Cullinane (Ballinascarthy), D Sheedy (Bantry Blues), D O’Leary (Ballincollig); D O’Mullane (Kilmurry), S Coakley (Douglas), O O’Callaghan (Liscarroll Churchtown Gaels).
Subs: J O’Leary (Douglas) for O’Callaghan (43); A Dineen (Cill na Martra) for Clifford (52); C Mullins (Mallow) for Cullinane (57); L Shorten (Tadgh MacCartaigh) for O’Mullane (67).

Referee: N McKenna (Monaghan).

Match Coverage

Team News

The Cork Minor Football Team to play Dublin in the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Quarter Final has been announced https://t.co/vAh93auJYl#SportsDirectIreland #BorntoPlay pic.twitter.com/ahvVqZpQ7c

— Cork GAA (@OfficialCorkGAA) June 9, 2023