Cork 1-17 Limerick 0-13
Cork are Munster minor football champions following a 1-17 to 0-13 victory over Limerick in Thurles.
The game was in the balance in the final stages until Hugh O'Connor saw The Rebels home with two late points. The Newmarket clubman finished with 1-07, 1-05 of which came from play.
Cork made a blistering start to the game with corner forward Hugh O’Connor firing 1-01 in the opening three minutes.
He sent over a free and then buried a sensational goal moments later when he collected the ball on the left touchline before evading a host of Limerick defenders and fired high into the net.
Limerick got on the board themselves thanks to a fine effort from Ruairi Cronin but Cork should have doubled their goal tally on 11 minutes but O’Connor was denied by a fine Craig MacInnes save.
Limerick then cut their early advantage to two points by virtue of Ruairi O Duinn’s point. That left the score at 1-01 to 0-02 to Cork at the first water break.
On the resumption, Limerick were on the attack again and reduced Cork’s lead to the minimum thanks to a Darragh Murray free.
However, Cork were soon back in the ascendency with excellent points from O’Connor (2) and Michael McSweeney.
A Murray free briefly stemmed the red time but further scores from Jack O’Neill and Colm Gillespie saw Cork keep control. Limerick responded through Sean Geraghty to leave the score at 1-6 to 0-5 in Cork’s favour at half time.
Cork stretched that lead to five with the first attack of the second half saw a point from corner back Dan Twomey but Limerick hit back with Emmet Rigter, Murray and Geraghty finding the target to bring Cork’s lead to two once more.
O’Connor put Cork a goal ahead again eight minutes into the second half but three Murray frees in a row saw the game level for the first time.
The Limerick captain added another just before the second water break to send his side into the lead for the first time.
The lead went back and forth in the final 10 minutes before Jamie O’Driscoll and the mercurial O’Connor saw Cork to victory.
Cork: Mikey O’Connell; Dan Twomey (0-01), Shane O’Connell, Patrick O’Grady; Sam Copps (0-01), Conor Twomey, Darragh O’Brien; Michael Sweeney (0-01), Rory O’Shaughnessy (0-01); Jack O’Neill (0-01), Niall Kelly, Colm Gillespie (0-01); Olan Corcoran, Jamie O’Driscoll (0-02), Hugh O’Connor (1-07, 2f).
Subs: Bryan Hayes for Corcoran (38), Alan Kelleher for C Twomey (43), Dylan Crowley (0-01) for Gillespie (47), ), Fionn Crowley for McSweeney (50), Luke O’Herlihy (0-01) for Kelly (50).
Limerick: Craig MacInnes; Michael Kilbridge, Jamie Behan, Darragh Clifford; Lorcan Murphy, Aaron Neville, Stephen Kiely; Jack Somers, Darragh Murray (0-08, 7f); Marc Nolan, Emmet Rigter (0-01), Oisin O’Farrell; Sean Geraghty (0-02), Ruairi Cronin (0-01), Conall O’Duinn (0-01).
Subs: Patrick Kennedy for Cronin (h-t), Ronan Quirke for Nolan (41), Callum Boyle for Murphy (50), Shane Cross for Geraghty (63), Jack Ryan for Kiely (64).
Referee: Chris Maguire (Clare)
