Clinical Cork end Derry’s All Ireland Minor Championship dream in Parnell Park
Electric Ireland All Ireland Minor Football Championship semi-final
Second half goals from Tom Whooley and Alex O'Herlihy ended Derry's bid for a third All Ireland Minor Football final appearance in four years as Cork finished strongly in Parnell Park on Saturday afternoon.
An impressive Rebels squad were well worth their semi-final win but somewhat flattered by the eventual 11 point margin of victory following a game that was in the mix for long periods until O'Herlihy came off the bench to finally extinguish Oak Leaf hopes via Cork's second goal with five minutes remaining.
Only three points separated the teams at the three quarter point but Cork’s greater attacking power edged them over the line with Whooley superb alongside long range free-taking keeper, Rory Twohig.
Derry had chances with Rocco Devlin unlucky to be denied a goal on 48 minutes when Twohig dived bravely at his feet at a stage when an Oak Leaf major would have tied the game heading into the final 10 minutes.
It wasn't to be and it was that final quarter that cost Derry. Three behind after Neil McDermott's 44th minute free made it 2-07 to 1-13, Cork outscored The Oak Leafers 1-06 to 0-1 over the game's final 16 minutes and into injury time. And that Derry point came from Don Mulholland in added time with the game well over and Cork already looking forward to a final against Ulster champions, Tyrone.
The Rebels got off to a flyer with half forward Joe Miskella pointing inside 20 seconds of throw-in while Mulholland did well to block a Eoghan Ahern shot. Twohig served early notice of his outrageous dead ball kicking with a third minute '45 to double the Rebels' advantage but when Derry finally arrived at the party, they travelled in style.
Not for the first time this season a Lorcan Higgins' driving run was the catalyst, the playmaker accelerating straight at the heart of the Cork defence and drawing the cover before popping off to Conor O'Kane who stepped inside Twohig and blasted into the net for 1-0 to 0-2 on four minutes.
Derry's direct running through Higgins and Rocco Devlin was causing Cork trouble but the Munster champions always looked threatening at then other end, with Twohig's free taking expertise a looming shadow over Derry hopes. In total, seven of Cork's first half tally of 11 points came from placed balls.
Ben Hegarty levelled things in the ninth minute with Cork's third point of the afternoon but within seconds Derry had a second major with only their second shot on target. This time it was Rocco Devlin's pace causing the trouble, the speedy Loup forward touching on a breaking ball before gathering and firing home an emphatic finish for his second goal of this All Ireland Series. Ten minutes gone, Derry three up and yet to hit a point!
Cork's Donal Herlihy and McDermott swapped scores, the latter's Derry's first free of the day, before Twohig knocked over a sublime sideline ball from far out on the right touchline for 2-01 to 0-5 at the end of the first quarter.
Cork's Miskella was fortunate to escape with just a booking for a high challenge of Derry goalscorer O'Kane while Glackin's men were indebted to Jarlath McCartney for blocking Darragh O'Sullivan's goalbound shot on the line.
O'Sullivan did have the consolation of tapping over a free and it kickstarted a sequence of 0-5 without reply for the Rebels as another two breathtaking Twohig sideline kicks, the second a two point effort, and a '45 took the score to 2-01 to 0-09.
Indeed that run could have been even better as yet another long range Twohig free dropped dangerously in under the posts with O'Sullivan reaching it seconds before Derry keeper Doherty to punch to the net. Fortunately for Derry, the Erins Own player had strayed inside too early and the goal was ruled out for square ball.
Tomas Devlin's point was Derry's first from play in the 32nd minute and ended a run of 19 scoreless minutes for Derry but Cork quickly responded though an O'Sullivan free. Mulholland grabbed Derry’s final score of the half but Tom Whooley's point ensured it was the Rebels who took a 0-11 to 2-03 lead into the interval.
Derry started to second period in fine fashion as McDermott, Mulholland and Tadhg Bradley hit unanswered scores to take Glackin’s team 2-06 to 0-11 ahead.
Eoghan Ahern's free levelled the scores for the fourth time in the tie but with the game in the mix, Whooley's superb solo goal on 41 minutes handed The Rebels a lead they would never relinquish.
Chasing the lead left Derry susceptible to a rapid Cork counter and Michael Doherty's heroics when saving point blank from both O'Herlihy and Whooley was world class goalkeeping; but there was little he could do when O'Herlihy was sent clear by Ahern to fire home Cork's second goal. It spelt the end of Derry's championship season but it won't be the final word for plenty in a Derry squad containing plenty of future potential
Derry scorers: Rocco Devlin 1-0, Conor O'Kane 1-0, Neil McDermott 0-3 (2f), Tomas Devlin 0-1, Don Mulholland 0-3, Tadhg Bradley 0-1.
Cork scorers: Tom Whooley 1-2, Alex O'Herlihy 1-0, Joe Miskella 0-3, Rory Twohig 0-5 (1tpf, 2f, 1 '45), Donal Herlihy 0-1, Darragh O'Sullivan 0-2 (2f), Ben Hegarty 0-3 (2f), Eoghan Ahern 0-1, Kevin O'Donovan 0-2.
Derry: Michael Doherty, Dan McEldowney, Conor Sargent, Dara McKaigue, Jarlath McCartney, Connail Campbell, Lorcan Higgins, Gabriel Gormley, Joey Mullan, Conor O'Kane, Don Mulholland, Neil McDermott, Tomas Devlin, Tadhg Bradley, Rocco Devlin. (Subs) Pol McPeake for J McCartney, 44mins; Cormac McGuckin for T Devlin, 50mins; Tadhg Scullion for C Campbell, 52mins; Cahir McDonnell for T Bradley, 52mins; Ultan McCloskey for G Gormley, 61mins.
Cork: Rory Twohig, Riain McCormack, Aaron O'Sullivan, Conor Garvey, Darragh O'Sullivan, Conor Downing, Eanna Lynch, Kieran O'Shea, Conrad Murphy, Eoghan Ahern, Ben Hegarty, Joe Miskella, Tom Whooley, Jacob Barry, Donal Herlihy. (Subs) Paedar Kelly for A O'Sullivan, HT; Levin O'Donovan for J Barry, 44mins; Alex O'Herlihy for D O'Herlihy, 44mins; Fionn O'Donovan for D O'Sullivan, 47mins; Donncha O'Mahony for C Garvey (inj), 53mins.
Referee: Alan Coyne