With Conor Hogan
Wrap up: Cork have won today, but I have absolutely no idea how. Well, actually I do. Dublin were enourmously indisiplined. 1-7 of Cork’s 1-15 came from frees. Ross McConnell was the biggest villain today, giving away the penalty, the free-kick that put the Rebels ahead for the first time, and getting himself sent off.
Dublin had the game in the bag before giving away 1-3 from set pieces in the last ten minutes. Bernard Brogan was absolutely sensational, and doesn’t deserve to be on the losing side. Cork remained calm to claw their way back into the game, but for most of the match were quite poor and will have to improve if they have any chance against Down or Kildare in the final.
Thanks very much for joining us.
Have a good day.
Conor Counihan: “We didn’t look good for a lot that today but, despite what people say, we showed we have a lot of bottle.”
Cork have won, what an astonishing end to that match.
Full time
Substitute Denis Bastick hits a bad wide. Ten seconds remain. Brogan scores a point, but is that a mistake? He should have played it in and hoped for a goal.
Cork are playing keepball. After about twelve consecutive handpasses, the ball goes to Derek Kavanagh who slots it over. Dublin need a goal now.
It gets worse and worse for Dublin. Ross McConnell’s awful tackle on Noel O’Leary earns him a second yellow and Cork a free-kick. O’Connor scores from the free-kick to put them ahead for the first time in this match. Dublin have blown this.
Red card Dublin!
Donnacha O’Connor puts a free over the bar from 25 yards. Incredible. The first time Cork have been level since the opening whistle.
Conal Keaney scores a free from out of his hands to put some daylight between the teams. Only the Dubs second point from a free. Cork reply within a minute with an Alan O’Connor free.
Nicholas Murphy is down with what looks like a back injury. Bernard Brogan puts the ball wide for Dublin’s eleventh wide of the game.
Squeeky bum time in Croke Park. Paddy Kelly scores to reduce the gap to a mere point. It looked like he might have been going for goal.
Colm O’Neill pops one over to reduce the gap to two. Across the sea, and in one of the most bonkers scorelines I’ve ever seen, Newcastle have beaten Aston Villa 6-0 today.
Cullen hits a great point from a difficult angle to increase the gap to a goal. What a response this has been from Dublin since the goal.
Who else but Bernard Brogan, who replies instantly for the Dubs with a great point. Exciting stuff here.
Donnacha O’Connor slots it away brilliantly, sending Cluxton the wrong way. Incredibly, Cork are only a point behind.
Goal Cork
Ross McConnell rugby tackles Colm O’Neill. The Plunketts man is lucky not to pick up a second yellow.
Penalty Cork!
Cork win a free from just in front of the post. Goulding’s shooting has been poor today, but he wasn’t going to miss that one.
O’Gara lays the ball off to Bernard Brogan, who scores yet another point. The ref might as well blow his whistle now.
Daniel Goulding scores Cork’s first point of the second half. At their current rate, I can’t see them pulling Dublin back. Especially as they find scoring goals impossible.
Nicholas Murphy comes on for Cork. Alan O’Connor then misses an awful free.
Ross McConnel finally scores the first point of the half, after winning the ball in a throw in and slotting it over from 30 yards. Michael Shields then hits Cork’s 12th wide. This is absolutely playing into Dublin’s hands.
Alan Brogan hits the post from straight in front of it. Awful miss. For Cork, Miskella hits a shot low and straight into Cluxton’s hands. Cullen then hits a bad wide for the Dubs. We’re still waiting for the first score of the second half.
Alan Brogan earns himself a yellow card thanks to a kerfuffle with Ray Carey in the corner of the pitch. Daniel Goulding hits yet another Cork wide from a free.
Second half begins. One change at half time for Cork. The obviously unfit Graham Canty is replaced by Eoin Cadogan. Sheehan immediatly hits one wide for the Rebels. Cork’s wides in double figures now.
Manchester United are currently leading Fulham 1-0. Who else but Paul Scholes, and from 25 yards. It is his 150th goal for his club.
Cork have had far more scoring opportunities than Dublin. They’ve hit nine wides, hit the post, had a shot saved and a goal disallowed. Dublin absolutely deserve their four point lead, however, and Bernard Brogan is having possibly the game of the Championship. The Dublin team are defending resolutely, and Cork’s attacks have been ponderous and fruitless.
Half time
Kerrigan thought he was he going to get a goal, but his shot hit the the bar and post. At the other end, Brogan scores a terrific point.
Substitution for Dublin. Cian O’Sullivan, who was Dublin’s only change before the match, is taken off for the man he replaced, Brian Cahill.
Bernard Brogan shows them how it’s done with a great point. Donnacha O’Connor then puts a great free over before Paul Kerrigan scores from an acute angle.
Paddy Kelly answers back with a point for Cork, for their first point for eleven minutes. Dublin’s O’Gara and Cork’s O’Leary resume natural order with poor wides.
Michael Darren McAuley scores Dublin’s first point for eleven minutes, though it shouldn’t have been allowed. It was an open handed fist.
Daniel Goulding takes a terrible free, for Cork’s eight wide of the afternoon. Add to that Cluxton’s save and the disallowed goal, that’s four points from 14 scoring opportunities.
Five minutes have gone without a point. Dublin have been defensive. Cork have been both defensive and profligate.
A long ball in to both Brogans by Henry is won terrifically by Paudie Kissane and cleared. The ball goes out of play off Shields. Stephen Cluxton then has a rare miss from a 45.
Aidan Walsh scores, before setting up a chance for Daniel Goulding. The Eire Og man puts the ball wide, however. It’s the Rebels sixth wide of the afternoon.
Bernard Brogan scores, taking his total to 1-2. His brother Alan Brogan scores too. In between those two Dublin attacks Cork had a goal ruled out, after Goulding handpassed the ball into the net.
Daniel Goulding scores Corks first point for seven minutes from a 24 yard free. Cork will be disappointed to have scored only three times from nine opportunities, however.
Stephen Cluxton makes an outstanding save from Pearse O’Neill. That’s why he’s the best goalkeeper in the country. At the other end, Bernard Brogan pops one over to increase the gap to four.
Philip McMahon’s shot looked like it was going well wide, before hitting the post and going over.
Cork are winning all of the kick-outs. Goulding hits a free over to reduce the gap. Aidan Walsh and Pease O’Neill then blast two well wide. Four wides for Cork already.
Bernard’s brother Alan Brogan puts the ball over the bar to increase the lead to a goal yet again. Brian Cullen then puts the ball wide horribly from about 20 yards.
An outstanding long ball from Corkery goes to Bernard Brogan, who smashes the ball low and into the corner of the net. Sensational start. O’Connor then gets a point back for Cork.
Goal Dublin!!
The game commences and …
For soccer fans, I’ll be keeping an eye on Manchester United’s clash with Fulham at the Craven Cottage. If there is a goal or a red card I’ll let you know.
Colm O’Rourke reckons Dublin will win. Joe Brolly points out how Cork tend to either overwhelm teams or else lose close contests.
Joe Brolly reckons Bernard Brogan might go on to be the greates forward Dublin have ever hard. The St Oliver Plunketts man has scored over a third of all his county’s scores so far in the Championship.
Bernard Brogan v Michael Shields and Ger Brennan v Pearse O’Neill will be the the make it or break it battles to watch. To read about how JOE reckons those clashes will go, as well as the battle in midfield click here.
JOE’s Conor Heneghan reckons Cork will nick it by a couple of points. To read his preview click the hyperlink.
Bookies make Cork 4/6 favourites, despite the fact that they’ve been fairly poor so far in the Championship and that Dublin were sensational against Tyrone. They are probably looking at the fact that, since 2004, Cork haven’t lost to anyone in the Championship apart from Kerry.
Dublin make one change. Cian O’Sullivan comes in at left half back in the place of Barry Cahill. O’Sullivan played the second half against Tyrone, when he came in for Cahill.
Drama at the end of the minor match, as a Mayo shot that would have leveled up the game is cleared off the line in injury time. Whistle is blown, Tyrone are the victors 3-10 to 0-16.
Three changes for Cork today. John Miskella comes in at left corner back instead of Jamie O’Sullivan, Alan O’Connor replaces Derek Kavanagh in midfield while Donncha O’Connor starts at left corner forward instead of Colm O’Neill. Injury doubts Graham Canty and Ciaran Sheehan have been named in the starting line-up.
A sensational second half performance from the goal machine that are the Tyrone minors, has put them two points ahead of Mayo. 3-09 to 0-16. It is currently in the 60th minute.
Teams:
Dublin: S Cluxton; M Fitzsimons, R O’Carroll, P McMahon; K Nolan, G Brennan, C O’Sullivan; R McConnell, MD McAuley; N Corkery, A Brogan, B Cullen; D Henry, E O’Gara, B Brogan.
Cork: A Quirke; R Carey, M Shields, J Miskella; N O’Leary, G Canty (captain), P Kissane; A O’Connor, A Walsh; P Kerrigan, P O’Neill, P Kelly; D Goulding, C Sheehan, D O’Connor.
