Cork City will have to wait at least another week to seal the Premier Division title as they were comprehensively taken apart by an impressive Shamrock Rovers side at Tallaght Stadium.
The Rebel Army arrived in Dublin knowing that a win – and defeat for Dundalk at home to St Patrick's Athletic – would see them crowned champions with seven games to spare.
Any thoughts of lifting the title in Tallaght quickly evaporated as early goals from Ronan Finn and Brandon Miele, and a late third from Michael O'Connor, sealed a 3-1 win for the Hoops.
Rovers boss Stephen Bradley was forced into two changes as Dave Webster – the subject of midweek bitter words from City boss John Caulfield – was suspended.
He was replaced by Simon Madden, but more concerning was striker Graham Burke showing up before the game in a leg brace having potentially damaged knee ligaments in training.
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Caulfield also made two changes, of the voluntary variety, as stand-in captain and midfield talisman Gearoid Morrissey returned in place of Robbie Williams and Connor Ellis.
It was the home side who looked to have been strengthened by their changes, however, as they took the lead with less than a quarter of an hour played.
There was little to report from the opening period to that point, though a pin-point ball over the top from Dave McAllister for Madden should have acted as a warning for the visitors.
There was little sign of warning when Tomer Chencinski strode to the midway point in his half before launching a long ball up towards Gary Shaw.
The Newbridge man outjumped 6'5 Ryan Delaney to nod down for captain Finn, and his shot took a fortuitous deflection off the heel of Shane Griffin, wrongfooting Mark McNulty in the City goal.
Miele, perhaps sensing something in the air, tried to repeat the trick two minutes later but there was to be no kind deflection this time as his shot rolled harmlessly wide.
No matter, for the Tallaght wouldn't have to wait long to get his name on the scoresheet – Shamrock Rovers 2-0 up with just 20 minutes on the clock.
A mazy run forward from Trevor Clarke saw the left-back skip through three challenges before finally being halted by an excellently-timed challenge from Bennett.
Miele seized on the loose ball, took a few steps laterally inside and bent a wonderfully-guided effort into the corner past the shellshocked McNulty.
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It took more than a half an hour for City to register a clear chance of their own (although a perfect ball over the top by Morrissey was pulled back for a borderline offside call on Kieran Sadlier).
The ball sit up for midfielder Jimmy Keohane on the edge of the penalty area and he shot first time with his left foot but, as so many times in the first half, a Rovers man was already on top of him.
Rovers began to sit back more as the half drew on, in part as a result of heavy knocks shipped by Clarke and Aaron Bolger, but a lacklustre City continued to be frustrated.
Caulfield took off Bennett, who had been City's best player in the first half, and McCormack for
Williams and Ellis, but there was little immediate change to the flow of the game.
Finn teed up Ryan Connolly for a shot the winger sliced over and set off a counter-attack that ended with Miele forcing McNulty into another stop.
Cork created half-chances of their own but it was against the run of play that they pulled one back, Gearoid Morrissey sending a sublime shot arrowing into the corner of the net.
It was fitting that Finn, the game's outstanding player, had the finally say as he brought the ball to the endline and crossed low for substitute Michael O'Connor to finish into the roof of the net.
Shamrock Rovers: Tomer Chencinski; Simon Madden, Roberto Lopes, Lee Grace, Trevor Clarke; David McAllister, Ronan Finn, Ryan Connolly, Brandon Miele, Aaron Bolger (Sam Bone 72); Gary Shaw (Michael O'Connor 76).
Cork City: Mark McNulty; Stevie Beattie (Achille Campion 65), Alan Bennett (Robbie Williams 46), Ryan Delaney, Shane Griffin; Conor McCormack (Connor Ellis 46), Garry Buckley, Gearoid Morrissey, Kieran Sadlier, Jimmy Keohane; Karl Sheppard.
Referee: Paul McLaughlin
