ESB GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Semi-Final – Cork 3-15 Galway 5-8

Cork defeated Galway by 3-15 to 5-8 in the ESB GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Semi-Final on Sunday at Croke Park.

Cork stage stunning comeback to reach Minor final

From the GAA.ie web site

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Brian Hurley’s three injury time points were crucial as Cork completed a remarkable comeback to secure a 3-15 to 5-8 win over Galway, claiming their place in the final of the ESB GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship, where they will face Tyrone. Cork trailed by 5-6 to 2-6 with 16 minutes left, but they ate into Galway’s lead in the final quarter and Hurley was the Rebels’ hero in added time. Kevin Hallissey was immense for the Leesiders, scoring 2-2, including the equalising point in the 57th minute. Hurley’s winner came three minutes into stoppage time after he was fouled by a Galway defender and then kicked the ensuing free himself.

Galway’s opening goal came seven minutes in. Peadar Ó Griófa, who had opened the Tribesmen’s account minutes earlier, was the man who did the damage. Wing-forward Niall Quinn made a searing run and appeared to attempt a long-range point, but his shot dropped short and Ó Griófa was on hand to gather possession and drop kick the ball past David Hanrahan, the Cork goalkeeper. Cork responded immediately, with John O’Rourke hitting the target after Mark Sugrue had given the Rebels the lead in the third minute. A further effort from Damian Cahalane, the rangy midfielder, reduced the gap to one – 1-1 to 0-3 – with 12 minutes gone. Galway, however, scored three successive points to take control of the game. Niall Walsh, Quinn and Conor Robbitte did the damage for the Westerners as they moved four points clear.

Credit to Cork, they hit back and Brian Hurley grabbed one back, having been denied a goal minutes earlier by a brilliant save by Galway goalkeeper James Keane. A Daniel Fitzgerald free brought Cork right back into the game. With two minutes left to the break, there was a goal between the sides when Cathal O’Neill, who had just come on as a substitute, struck a fine point from play. But all the action in the first half came at the death. Cork were level when they pillaged a fine goal, as the effervescent O’Rourke fed Kevin Hallissey, who placed the ball to the back of the net. They were on terms for just a minute, however. Again, Ó Griófa was Cork’s tormentor. Dual star Daithí Burke dropped a shot short and the Galway corner forward pounced to ram home his second of the game, giving his side a 2-5 to 1-5 half-time lead.

The second half started as the first had ended. Cork hit the back of the net inside three minutes of the restart, as Hurley struck a fine goal after collecting a long ball into the danger area. Once again, Cork were level for less than a minute. Daithí Walsh squirmed clear of the Cork defence and rippled the net from a tight angle before Rabbitte added another four minutes later after terrific work by Shane Maughan. Galway led 4-5 to 2-5. In a helter skelter game full of incident, Galway would score their third goal of the half when Maughan once again set up Rabbitte for another fine goal. Cork were three goals down and in major trouble.

Brian Cuthbert’s men refused to panic, though, and set about tearing into the nine-point gap. Their task was helped when Hallissey stole in for his second goal in the 46th minute. Cork then hit five points in succession to level the game with three minutes left, Hallissey scoring the equaliser with a towering effort from play. Galway then ended an 18-minute scoreless spell to regain the lead, as Maughan found his range from play. However, the Rebels secured their spot in the final when their hero of the hour, Hurley, scored three injury time points. The winner, in the 63rd minute, came after the Castlehaven man had scorched clear of the Galway defence and was fouled. He picked himself up off the ground and tapped over the free to secure a scarcely believable win for the Rebels.

Cork: D Hanrahan, J Goggin, M O’Shea, D Murphy, D Lester, T Clancy, J Wall (0-1), J Burns, D Cahalane (0-2), J O’Rourke (0-1), D Fitzgerald (0-1, 0-1f), A Cronin, K Hallisey (2-2), M Sugrue (0-2), B Hurley (1-5, 0-5f).

Subs: D McEoin (0-1) for Fitzgerald, K Fulignati for Murphy, C O’Sullivan for Goggin, S O’Mahony for Sugrue, T Hegarty for Lester

Galway: J Keane, C MacDonnacha, J Shaughnessy, P Varley, M Loughnane, M Kelly, J Vaughan, E Commins, T Flynn, N Quinn (0-1), F O Curraoin, N Walsh (1-1), P Ó Griófa (2-1, 0-1f), C Rabbitte (2-1), S Maughan (0-3, 0-1f).

Subs: D Burke for Vaughan, C O’Neill (0-1) for Commins, F O Bearra for Quinn, A Varley for Walsh, D Black for Mac Donnacha

Referee: E Kinsella (Laois)

Team News

The Cork Minor Football team to play Galway on Sunday at 1.30pm in Croke Park will line out as follows:

CORK (MF v Galway) – David Hanrahan; James Goggin, Matthew O Shea, Darren Murphy; Diarmuid Lester, Tom Clancy, Jamie Wall; Jamie Burns, Damian Cahalane; John O Rourke, Daniel Fitzgerald, Alan Cronin; Kevin Hallissey, Mark Sugrue, Brian Hurley

Subs: – Shane Masters, Kevin Fulignati, Kevin Sheehan, Tom Hegarty, David O’Donovan, Conor O’Sullivan, Dan McEoin, Luke Connolly, Stephen O’Mahony