Cork's impressive league campaign ended with an emphatic 2-18 to 1-11 win over Kerry in Tralee. Full-forward Brian Hurley racked up eight points, all but one from play, and Cork prospered thanks also to goals from Paul Kerrigan and Colm O'Neill. Kerry will go away and lick their wounds, hobbled by yet another injury to one of their key forwards as Darran O'Sullivan pulled up suddenly in the second half with a hamstring injury.
On a day when Cork had nothing to play for, you’d never have guessed it was them and not Kerry who were already through to the semi-finals. As it turned out, the result in Castlebar meant that Kerry wouldn’t have made it no matter what transpired here but it hardly explains their mediocrity.
Though Kerry played the first half with a strong breeze at their back, they struggled to make the scoreboard reflect the fact. Brian Hurley gave full-back Mark Griffin a chasing from the start, stitching a point in the second minute and having four on the board inside the first 20.
Kerry had their equivalent in James O'Donoghue, who had Michael Shields in trouble any time he got on the ball. He almost scored a goal to adorn any day 25 minutes in, collecting 30 yards out and scooting past Shields before curling an effort just above the top corner.
Kerry would get their goal five minutes later after a well worked move involving O'Donoghue, Donnchadh Walsh and Daithí Casey ended with Paul Geaney finishing smartly for the second match in a row. But Kerrigan hit back with the last action of the first half, a fine goal after a searing run through the Kerry defence.
It meant that Cork took a one-point lead into the break with them, 1-7 to 1-6. If it looked a match at that stage, however, the impression soon faded. Cork dominated the third quarter, scoring 1-8 to Kerry’s 0-1 in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Hurley ran riot and O’Neill planted a goal with his first touch upon his introduction.
Kerry faded completely from view in the second half, losing O’Sullivan to that hamstring injury. Summer seemed a fair distance away for them by the end.
Kerry: 1 B Kelly; 2 P Murphy, 3 M Griffin, 4 S Enright; 5 P Crowley (0-1), 6 F Fitzgerald, 7 M Ó Sé; A Maher, 9 D Moran (0-1); 10 D Walsh, 11 D Casey (0-1), 12 K O'Leary; 13 S O'Brien (0-1), 14 P Geaney (1-2, 0-2 frees), 15 J O'Donoghue (0-4, 0-2 frees). Subs: 19 Darran O'Sullivan for Walsh, 30 mins; J Buckley for Maher, half-time; 17 B Sheehen (0-1, free) for O'Sullivan, 38 mins; 22 J Sherwood for Ó Sé, 45 mins; 21 A O'Mahony for Griffin, 54 mins; 23 BJ Keane for Geaney, 59 mins
Cork: 1 K O'Halloran; 2 M Shields, 3 J O'Sullivan, 4 Tom Clancy; 7 D Cahalane (0-1), 6 P Kelly, 5 J Loughrey; 8 F Goold (0-1), 9 A O'Sullivan; 10 C O'Driscoll (0-1), 11 M Collins; 24 P Kerrigan (1-2); 13 B O'Driscoll, 14 B Hurley (0-8, 0-1 free), 15 J Hayes (0-2). Subs: 26 C O'Neill (1-1) for Hayes, 50 mins; 25 D O'Connor (0-1) for A O'Sullivan, 52 mins; 23 D Goulding (0-1) for C O'Driscoll, 56 mins; 20 Tomás Clancy for Shields, 60 mins; 22 M Ó Laoire for B O'Driscoll, 64 mins; 21 R O'Sullivan for Kelly, 66 mins
Referee: E Kinsella (Laois)
