Cork 2-14 Limerick 0-06
Cork will contest their 13th consecutive Munster U20 football final as they held Limerick scoreless from play with an all-too-powerful performance.
The change of venue to Páirc Uí Chaoimh allowed Cork to showcase some of their best in attack too, with Hugh O'Connor and Niall Kelly getting the goals. Olan Corcoran and Ross Corkery, son of Cork and Nemo Rangers legend Colm, were others to work the scoreboard.
The impact of Kelly and Corkery in running up 1-03 off the bench will add to the competition for places in the short turnaround to next Monday’s final where Cork will bid to join Kerry atop the roll of honour on 29 titles.
Cork held the visitors without a score for 41 minutes of play from the 7th minute onward and it took them only 25 seconds to register their first with a towering kick from senior star Tommy Walsh.
Richard O’Sullivan, named to start at 12, lined out beside Walsh at right half-back but that didn’t hamper his scoring threat, kicking two of Cork’s early points.
He immediately followed that up by forcing a turnover at the other end which led to Cork’s first goal chance of the game.
O’Connor’s gliding run created the gap and Tom Cunningham’s power-packed shot crunched down off the crossbar but on the wrong side of the goalline. Corcoran’s follow-up fisted attempt was gathered by Craig MacInnes.
Limerick opened up Cork twice either side of that goal chance. Darragh Murray got in along the endline with ease but Thomas O’Mahony got back to make the block. Later, captain Jacob O’Driscoll produced a timely tackle to deny David O’Shaughnessy.
But Limerick, after two tap-over frees from O’Shaughnessy and Diarmuid Ryan, wouldn’t score again for the final 24 minutes of the half as they failed to navigate from packed defence into attack.
They did limit Cork’s shot count as the hosts only added two scores of their own in the final 19 minutes of the half, both from O’Connor.
His point made it 0-06 to 0-02 and he showed killer instinct when goaling in the 26th minute, giving the keeper the eyes with a clinical near-side finish.
O’Connor created another goal chance after the break with a no-look handpass across the goalmouth punched wide by Seán Brady.
Corkery came off the bench and he immediately impressed with a point to stretch Cork’s scoring streak to 1-07 without reply.
An O’Shaughnessy free ended Limerick’s scoring drought and he would add two more in quick succession. But Cork responded to each one through Corcoran and Corkery, slotting a point each, before combining to set up their second goal.
Substitute Kelly raced in to apply the finish, sending the green flag flying from its rigging with a powerful shot to the bottom corner.
Murray became the third Limerick player to convert a free but they couldn’t get that point from play even as the game lost any remaining rhythm.
Cork, meanwhile, tacked on two more through Seán Dore and Kelly.
Cork: C Dungan; D Twomey, J O’Driscoll, D Murray; R O’Sullivan (0-02), T Walsh (0-01), T O’Mahony; E Nash, S Dore (0-01); S Brady, H O’Connor (1-02, 0-01f), L O’Connell (0-01); P O’Rourke, O Corcoran (0-04, 1f), T Cunningham.
Subs: E de Búrca for Nash (29 inj), R Corkery (0-02) for Cunningham (42), P O’Driscoll for Murray (42), M Quirke for Brady (49), N Kelly (1-01) for O’Connor (50).
Limerick: C MacInnes; T Hourigan, J McCarthy, D Buckley; C O’Sullivan, F Corcoran, E McGrath; D Murray (0-01f), E Righter; A Neville, M Molloy, B Smith; D O’Shaughnessy (0-04f), R Quirke, D Ryan (0-01f).
Subs: T Ryan for Molloy (29), S Ryan for O’Sullivan (h-t), Z McCarthy for D Ryan (39), M Nolan for Righter (39 inj), D Boyce for J McCarthy (41 inj).
Referee: N Quinn (Clare).
Kerry 1-20 Clare 4-09
Kerry needed extra-time to overcome Clare and book their place in the Munster U20 football final this evening after a high-scoring affair in Tralee this evening.
With the game finishing level at 0-16 to 3-07, it took a crucial goal from Keith Evans to give the hosts breathing space in the extra-time period.
Even then Brian McNamara bagged a late goal, Clare's fourth of the evening, to give Tomás Ó Sé's side a further scare but time ran out for the visitors and Kerry squeezed home by two points.
Clare's only two scores of the first half were goals, both arriving in the opening 12 minutes, wing-forward Odhran Cunningham powering home the first before Joe Rafferty punched the second as a looping point attempt dropped short.
Kerry rallied to lead 0-08 to 2-00 at the break, Rob Monahan, William Shine and Aaron O'Shea carrying the scoring load. Ó Sé's side maintained that narrow advantage until the closing stages, when Cunningham slotted home his second on 48 minutes to level it at 0-13 to 3-04.
It set up a grandstand finish, the Kingdom finishing normal time with 14 men as the prolific Monaghan saw red.
In extra-time, they steadied however, Evans' goal and Shine's 10th point establishing a five-point cushion before McNamara's all-too late fourth for the away side.
