All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifiers Round 4 – Cork 0-16 Limerick 1-11

Cork defeated Limerick by 0-16 to 1-11 after extra time in Round 4 of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Qualifiers on Saturday in the Gaelic Grounds Limerick.

Cork prevail against Limerick after extra time

Frmo the GAA.ie web site

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Cork are in the All-Ireland quarter-finals after a 0-16 to 1-11 extra-time victory against Limerick at Páirc na nGael on Saturday night. They had to dig deep to reach a sixth consecutive last eight however as Limerick showed great character to get themselves back into the game, but overall Cork were the better side. The sides were level at half-time, 0-5 each, though Limerick could, and should, have had a comfortable lead by that stage. They played most of the football in the opening half, and could have had a commanding lead by the 13th minute, with Cork still scoreless. Only for ill-luck, the Shannonsiders’ advantage would have been bigger at that point as, in the space of a minute, the frame of the goal denied them twice.

First, James Ryan gave a lovely lay-off to put Seanie Buckley in but his shot crashed back off the crossbar and seconds later Ian Ryan, who was otherwise kept under Michael Shields’ shackles in the half, saw a point effort come back off the post. Limerick were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal when a Derek Kavanagh point and a Daniel Goulding free left just a point in it by the 16th minute, though Stephen Lavin did restore some breathing space after his fine effort. Even though they were in touch, Cork were struggling and Limerick’s James O’Donovan and John Galvin were getting the better of the midfield exchanges but on 24 Cork could have gained the lead, Kerrigan finding Colm O’Neill with a lovely pass but Brian Scanlon produced a fine save to tip the ball over.

Goulding levelled soon and though Stephen Kelly restored the Limerick lead, Colm O’Neill ensured parity at half-time after a fisted point. By the third minute of the second half though, Cork were two points clear, Aidan Walsh and Goulding on target, though Cork were suffering from Patrick Kelly’s inaccuracy from placed balls. Lavin cut the gap to just a point with his second and then James Ryan was on target to tie it again by 47, but the momentum was with Cork, however, as two more converted frees from Goulding indicated, while being able to bring Nicholas Murphy and Donncha O’Connor off the bench was a luxury that Limerick did not have.Further points, from Goulding and Sheehan, followed to open up the game’s biggest lead, 0-12 to 0-7, with Cork now dominant around the middle from kickouts as Limerick’s time without a score continued to mount up.

In the end, that counter was allowed to run to the 22-minute mark, Collins adding his fourth point, but by that stage, the score only seemed to serve to cut the gap from five to four. In injury time though, under a dropping ball Alan O’Connor fouled John Galvin and Collins nailed the penalty before sub Conor Fitzgerald tied the game to force the additional 20 minutes. During the first period of the extra time, the play was littered with elementary mistakes on both sides, most notably Collins shooting wide after a mix-up in the Cork defence allowed him a clear run from 40 metres, and with Cork misfiring too, Donncha O’Connor’s two points were the only scores before the turnaround. Despite having had three weeks off since the Kerry game while Cork had two games behind them, it was actually Limerick who began to look the more tired in the second period, and the feeling persisted that they needed another goal. A booming free from the 45 by goalkeeper Brian Scanlon was morale-lifting, but Cork had the upper hand, and a beautiful Kelly point settled them before Ian Ryan’s late point made things tight but Goulding’s free clinched it.

CORK: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, J O’Sullivan; G Canty, N O’Leary, P Kissane; D Kavanagh (0-1), A Walsh (0-1); C Sheehan (0-1), P Kelly (0-1), P O’Neill; C O’Neill (0-2), P Kerrigan, D Goulding (0-7, 0-5f).

Subs: N Murphy for Walsh, D O’Connor (0-2, 0-1f) for Kerrigan (both 49), A O’Connor (0-1) for Kavanagh (58), F Goold for Kelly (70), Kelly for Goold (start of extra time), E Cotter for Shields (75, injured), Kerrigan for Sheehan (87, injured), Goold for A O’Connor (90).

LIMERICK: B Scanlon (0-1f); M O’Riordan, J McCarthy, A Lane; S Lucey, S Lavin (0-2), P Ranahan; J O’Donovan, J Galvin; P Browne, I Ryan (0-1f), S Buckley; G Collins (1-4, 1-0 penalty, 0-2f), S Kelly (0-1), J Ryan (0-1).

Subs: S Gallagher for McCarthy (blood, 23-25), C Mullane for O’Riordan (41), E Joy for Browne (43), C Fitzgerald (0-1) for Buckley (52), Gallagher for Lucey (62, injured), E O’Connor for I Ryan (66), J Mullane for O’Donovan (blood, 68-69), Browne for Ranahan (start of extra time), Buckley for Joy (74), I Ryan for O’Connor (80), J Mullane for Collins (84).

Referee: P Hughes (Armagh)
Mickey Ned blasts ref’s ‘poor’ call as Cork edge Limerick

By Liam Kelly for the Irish Independent newspaper

Monday July 26 2010

LIMERICK manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan has called for action from the GAA to ensure referees make the right decision in game-changing incidents. O’Sullivan couldn’t hide the frustration he felt at Limerick being denied a fourth-minute penalty by Armagh referee Padraig Hughes. Limerick were a point up when John Galvin was tumbled close to the Cork goal. It looked a clear penalty, but the ref awarded a free out for over-carrying. Hughes later gave Limerick a last-minute penalty when Galvin was shoved by Cork’s Alan O’Connor in the dying moments of the match, but we’ll never know how the fourth-minute incident might have changed the game. “We’re disappointed. The better team won on the day. We don’t have any grudges about Cork, but we do feel that the GAA will have to get the decision-makers making right decisions,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t have a persecution complex, but this is the third year in a row that poor decision making has cost us a game. That’s the reality.”

Emotions ran high after passion, fire and fury in an absorbing extra-time period brought Saturday night fever to the Gaelic Grounds just when the music seemed to have died for Limerick. A hard-fought, but turgid game of football was ebbing towards the inevitable conclusion of mission accomplished for favourites Cork. The Rebels, leading by five points with four minutes of normal time left, had just about shaken off O’Sullivan’s try-hards — when suddenly the Limerick side turned into real die-hards. Biff! It’s the 69th minute, Limerick are throwing everything they can at Cork in a last-ditch, seemingly hopeless effort, and Ger Collins scores a point from an awkward angle. Bang! There’s three minutes of time added on for injuries and in the 71st minute Cork’s Alan O’Connor has a rush of blood to the head when he barges Galvin in the back as a high ball drops into the Rebels danger area. It’s a penalty. A sensational penalty — and up steps Collins to blast the ball low and hard into the net. Wallop! Goalie Alan Quirke commits hara-kiri with less than 60 seconds left. His kick-out could go anywhere. Row Z would be ideal compared to where the ball lands — into Galvin’s hands. Galvin races forward and just as he’s being tackled gets the ball out to sub Conor Fitzgerald, who slots it over. Level match! A few brief flurries, and ref Padraig Hughes blows the whistle signalling 20 minutes of extra-time.

And then it became a case of which side could keep the mistakes to a minimum, because, for a while in the first period of extra-time, it was a game nobody seemed to want to win. Daniel Goulding, Cork’s leading scorer with 0-7 on the night, missed two good chances, one from a free in the first six minutes. Then Limerick’s top scorer, Collins, fired wide a minute later. Time for someone to step up, and Cork’s Donnacha O’Connor duly obliged, with a deadlock-breaking point after 79 minutes. Once he tapped the ball over the bar again from a free in the 81st minute, Cork had gained some vital breathing space. As for the second period of extra-time, all that needs to be said is that Limerick died with their boots on, fighting to the last breath in vain.

And then the inquests. Cork manager Conor Counihan had this message for his troops at the end of normal time. “I felt we were the better team for the 70 minutes and we were dominating in the second half, so I said ‘lads, you’ve proven it for 70, let’s take this 10 minutes at a time and I’ve no doubt we’re capable of grinding this out.'” Counihan was right, but reel it back to the early part of the game and Limerick will feel it could all have been so different. The home side started fast and better than Cork and Collins opened the scoring with a first-minute point. Three minutes later came the Galvin penalty controversy, and two minutes later, Collins added a second point.

But between that and his next score from a free after 14 minutes, the woodwork twice denied the home team, with a Seanie Buckley goal-bound shot hitting the crossbar and Ian Ryan’s attempt for a point hitting an upright. Cork were struggling to get a grip on the game at that stage and when they did get sight of goal, they missed the target until Derek Kavanagh got their first score almost immediately after Ryan’s rebound at the other end. By half-time the teams were level at 0-5 each. The second half was a war of attrition as Cork finally got a grip on midfield. Aidan Walsh nicked a point just after the interval and Goulding (four, three from frees), Ciaran Sheehan and Alan O’Connor pointed in 30 minutes to bring Cork to 0-12 by the 66th minute. Limerick’s only scorers in that period were from Stephen Lavin and James Ryan. Not enough, but then came the epic last few minutes of normal time. Referee Hughes showed the yellow card 17 times, including twice to Stephen Lavin — who was sent off in the last minute of extra-time — which illustrated the often untidy and grinding nature of the match in normal time.

Scorers — Cork: D Goulding 0-7 (0-5f), C O’Neill, D O’Connor (0-1f) 0-2 each, A Walsh, D Kavanagh, C Sheehan, A O’Connor, P Kelly 0-1 each. Limerick: G Collins 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), S Lavin 0-2, S Kelly, J Ryan, B Scanlon (0-1f), I Ryan (0-1f), C Fitzgerald 0-1 each.

Cork — A Quirke 7; R Carey 7, M Shields 7, J O’Sullivan 7; N O’Leary 7, G Canty 7, P Kissane 7; D Kavanagh 8, A Walsh 7; P Kerrigan 7, P O’Neill 7, P Kelly 7; D Goulding 8, C Sheehan 7, C O’Neill 7. Subs: N Murphy 6 for A Walsh (49), D O’Connor 6 for P Kerrigan (49), A O’Connor 6 for D Kavanagh (58), F Goold for P Kelly (70), P Kelly for F Goold (71), E Cotter 6 for M Shields (75), P Kerrigan for C Sheehan (87), F Goold for A O’Connor (91).

Limerick — B Scanlon 7; M O’Riordan 7, J McCarthy 7, A Lane 7 S Lavin 7, S Lucey 7, P Ranahan 7; J O’Donovan 7, J Galvin 7; P Browne 7, J Ryan 7, S Buckley 7; G Collins 7, I Ryan 7, S Kelly 7. Subs: C Mullane 6 for M O’Riordan (41), E Joy 6 for P Browne (43), C Fitzgerald 7 for S Buckley (51), S Gallagher 6 for S Lucey (62), E O’Connor 6 for I Ryan (66), P Browne 6 for P Ranahan (70), S Buckley for E Joy (74), I Ryan for E O’Connor (80), J Mullane 6 for G Collins (83).

Ref — P Hughes (Armagh)

Match Preview

They meet for the fifth successive year in the championship with the previous four all being in the Munster championship. Cork won all four, leaving Limerick seeking their first win over the Leesiders since 2003 when they had ten points to spare in a Munster quarter-final clash. They met in last year’s Munster final with Cork winning by a single point (2-6 to 0-11) in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Daniel Goulding scored 1-3 for the winners while Donncha O’Connor landed 1-1. Ian Ryan (0-4) and Seanie Ryan (0-3) were top scores for Limerick. Limerick are seeking to reach the quarter-final for the first time while Cork are bidding to reach the last eight for a sixth successive season. Both Cork and Limerick have already played Kerry with the former losing by a point in a replay which went to extra-time while the latter lost the Munster final by three points.

2010 Championship

Cork

Cork 0-15 Kerry 0-15

Kerry 1-15 Cork 1-14 (Replay – after extra-time)

Cork 1-19 Cavan 0-4

Cork 0-12 Wexford 0-5

Limerick

Limerick 1-17 Waterford 1-9

Kerry 1-17 Limerick 1-14 (Munster final)

Last Five Championship Clashes

2009: Cork 2-6 Limerick 0-11 (Munster final)

2008: Cork 2-9 Limerick 0-12 (Munster semi-final)

2007: Cork 2-14 Limerick 0-7 (Munster quarter-final)

2006: Cork 0-9 Limerick 0-5 (Munster semi-final)

2003: Limerick 0-16 Cork 0-6 (Munster quarter-final)