GAA Hurling All Ireland Senior Championship – Cork 3-24 Wexford 2-17

Clinical Cork seal quarter-finals spot

Report from the GAA.ie web site

GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Qualifiers Phase III: Cork 3-24 Wexford 2-17

Cork are safely through to the quarter-finals of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship after a 10-point defeat of Wexford at Thurles on Saturday evening. Cork led by 3-7 to 1-11 after an eventful first half in which Luke O’Farrell scored two goals for the Rebels inside the first 19 minutes, before being fouled for a penalty which goalkeeper Anthony Nash finished smartly. Wexford’s first half goal came from Diarmuid Lyng on the quarter hour mark, while Garrett Sinnott hit their second five minutes from time to leave six points between the sides. However, the Rebels finished strongly, hitting the final four scores of the game, before Wexford had David Redmond sent off for a second yellow card in the closing stages.

After a slow start, the sides were kevel at 0-2 apiece when Redmond pointed for Wexford on 13 minutes. However, the game burst into life after 14 minutes when O’Farrell pounced on a long ball by William Egan, beat his marker and billowed the back of the Wexford net. Wexford’s response was immediate. Shaun Murphy played the ball down the line for the roving Lyng and the St Martin’s man had his side level within a minute with a fine finish. But O’Farrell was by now tormenting the Wexford full-back line, and Matthew O’Hanlon in particular, and he had a second goal on 19 minutes when he was quickest to react to a Pa Horgan ball, touching it past the stranded Éanna Martin for his second goal.

Remarkably, the Rebels, who had only scored one goal in the 2012 Championship before today, had a third in the 21st minute, and again it was O’Farrell who did the damage, forcing O’Hanlon to concede a penalty, which goalkeeper Nash smashed to the roof of the net. In fairness to Wexford, their response was impressive. Rory Jacob, Harry Kehoe and Lyng, from a peach of a sideline cut, cut the gap to 3-4 to 1-7, before Cork hit back with further scores from O’Farrell and Horgan.

Having suffered defensively for much of the first half, the Wexford inside forward line was now causing problems for the Rebels. Jack Guiney took over free-taking duties from Lyng and landed two scores, before adding his first from play. When Sinnott hit his first score from play in added time, Liam Dunne’s side had hit the final three points of the half and had the deficit down to two points at the break, 3-7 to 1-11. Wexford failed to carry that momentum into the second half, as Nash and Niall McCarthy extended Cork’s lead, before Sinnott and Jack Guiney replied to leave two points in it in the 41st minute.

However, Cork hit four of the next five scores to take a commanding lead which they would not relinquish, with Horgan finishing with another tidy return of 0-7, while Conor Lehane, Paudie O’Sullivan and Pa Cronin also registered points. Cork were 3-20 to 1-17 ahead in the 65th minute when Sinnott gave the Models hope with a goal, catching a long ball, turning his man smartly and finishing to the roof of the net. However, Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s charges responded clinically, hitting four points in a row – Jamie Coughlan was on target twice in the closing minutes – to seal their place in the quarter-finals.

Cork Scorers: P Horgan 0-7 (0-5f), C Lehane 0-2, L O’Farrell 2-2, N McCarthy 0-3, A Nash 1-1 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), L McLoughlin 0-1, C McCarthy 0-1, P O’Sullivan 0-2, P Cronin 0-2, C Naughton 0-1, J Coughlan 0-2 (0-1f),

Wexford Scorers: R Jacob 0-3, D Redmond 0-1, D Lyng 1-3 (0-1 sl, 0-1f), H Kehoe 0-2, J Guiney 0-5 (0-3f), G Sinnott 1-2.

Cork: A Nash; S O’Neill, D Cahalane, B Murphy; T Kenny, E Cadogan, W Egan; L McLoughlin, P Cronin; C Lehane, C McCarthy, N McCarthy; P O’Sullivan, L O’Farrell, P Horgan. Subs: D Sweetnam, C Naughton, S Óg Ó hAilpín, S Moylan,

Wexford: E Martin; E Moore, M O’Hanlon, K Rossiter; R Kehoe, C Kenny, D Stamp; D Redmond, D Lyng; J Guiney, G Sinnott, H Kehoe; P Morris, E Quigley, R Jacob. Subs: L Óg McGovern, S Murphy, S Banville.

Match Preview

They meet for the first time in the championship since the 2004 All-Ireland semi-final when Cork, runners-up in Munster, beat Wexford, then Leinster champions by 1-27 to 0-12. The counties also clashed in the 2003 All-Ireland semi-final when Cork won a replay by 3-17 to 2-7 after the first game had ended level (Cork 2-20 Wexford 3-17). Wexford’s last win over Cork in the championship was in the 1956 All-Ireland final which they won by 2-14 to 2-8.

Last Five Championship Clashes

2004: Cork 1-27 Wexford 0-12 (All-Ireland semi-final)

2003 Cork 3-17 Wexford 2-7 (All-Ireland semi-final replay)

2003: Cork 2-20 Wexford 3-17 (All-Ireland semi-final)

1977: Cork 1-17 Wexford 3-8 (All-Ireland final)

1976: Cork 2-21 Wexford 4-11 (All-Ireland final)

2012 Championship

Offaly 2-12 Wexford 1-13 (Leinster quarter-final); Wexford 3-22 Westmeath 2-9; Wexford 4-12 Carlow 0-14 (All-Ireland qualifiers).

Tipperary 1-22 Cork 0-24 (Munster semi-final); Cork 1-26 Offaly 2-16 (All-Ireland qualifiers)

Team News

CORK SH: 1. Anthony Nash (Kanturk); 2. Shane O’Neill (Bishopstown), 3. Damien Cahalane (St. Finbarr’s), 4. Brian Murphy (Bride Rovers); 5. Tom Kenny (Grenagh), 6. Christopher Joyce (Na Piarsaigh), 7. Eoin Cadogan (Douglas); 8. Lorcán McLoughlin (Kanturk), 9. Pa Cronin (Bishopstown); 10. Conor Lehane (Midleton), 11. Cian McCarthy (Sarsfields), 12. Niall McCarthy (Carrigtwohill); 13. Paudie O’Sullivan (Cloyne) 14. Luke O’Farrell (Midleton) 15. Patrick Horgan (Glen Rovers)
Subs: 16. Darren McCarthy (Ballymartle), 17. Conor O’Sullivan (Sarsfields), 18. Stephen Mc Donnell (Glen Rovers), 19. William Egan (Kilbrin), 20. Seán Óg hAilpín (Na Piarsaigh), 21. Daniel Kearney (Sarsfields), 22. John Gardiner (Na Piarsaigh), 23. Darren Sweetnam (Dohenys), 24. Jamie Coughlan (Newtownshandrum), 25. Cathal Naughton (Newtownshandrum), 26. Stephen Moylan (Douglas).