This was a victory very much in Ben O’Connor’s image. A determined fightback, plenty of bite, a half-forward line that ran themselves into the ground and enough ammunition to keep his side composed as well. A fine result as two-point away wins go.
A poor start aside, Cork earned their victory in front of 8,464 supporters in Pearse Stadium. Brian Hayes came off the bench to hit two goals, but the fact that Galway roared back with the last five points meant the finish was far from comfortable.
For Galway, the question before the game was whether they would stick to their new, developing style when faced with the bright Salthill Saturday night lights and a ferocious Cork outfit. This was a significant examination of Micheál Donoghue’s rebuild.
Their start was an encouraging sign. Galway roared into a 1-7 to 0-3 lead after the first quarter. A surging Darragh Neary score from the Terrace sign, after a terrific turnover by new full-back Billian Trayers, was a statement of intent. They demonstrated the ability to go long too for Thomas Monaghan’s brilliant goal. A long ball to Declan McLoughlin broke for John Fleming. His arrowed delivery found Jason Rabbitte and he found the oncoming runner.
Cathal Mannion hit seven first-half points and left another 1-4 behind him. A Ben O’Connor team was never likely to lie down and they finished the half stronger. A missed Mannion goal chance, saved by Patrick Collins, led to Séamus Harnedy punishing it at the other end. That sparked a run of five consecutive points to make the margin just one at the turnaround.
Shane Barrett found space away from Daithi Burke to clip his third. The two came crashing into each other off-the-ball to earn two yellow cards. There was a further flashpoint as both teams made for the tunnel to the delight of a packed stand with ringside seats.
The Rebels’ relentless half-forward line powered them back into the fixture. Barrett continued to be a major issue for the home side as he rotated across the line. They scored 0-13 between them while Fitzgibbon created both goals as well.
It wasn’t until the 44 minute that an inside forward scored at either end, Alan Connolly’s snapshot proving pure.
Despite some poor Galway efficiency and a series of injury blows, with three different players limping off, Cork still trailed on the hour mark. Fitzgibbon’s burst paved the way for Brian Hayes to bat in.
His second goal was a cool finish with five minutes left. The sight of the full-forward finding the net once more ignited the sizeable away support. Cork are officially back up and running. They now face a rematch of the All-Ireland final next.
C. Mannion 0-10 (0-8 frees); A.Niland 0-5 (4 frees); T. Monaghan 1-0; G. Lee 0-3; D. Neary, C. Molloy, D. McLoughlin 0-1 each.
B. Hayes 2-0; S. Barrett 0-6; S. Harnedy 0-4; A. Connolly 0-4 (3 frees); D. Fitzgibbon 0-3; B. O’Sullivan, T. O’Connell, T. O’Mahony 0-1 each.
D. Fahy; J. Ryan, C. Trayers, R. Glennon; P. Mannion, D. Burke, D. Loftus; G. Lee, T. Monaghan; D. Neary, C. Mannion, J. Fleming; D. McLoughlin, J. Rabbitte, A. Niland.
C. Molloy for Fleming (27 – Inj); TJ Brennan for Glennon (43); C. Fahy for Burke (Inj – 50); S. Linnane for Monaghan (57); C. Daniels for Trayers (65).
P. Collins; N. O’Leary, D. O’Leary, E. Roche; E. Downey, R. Downey, M. Coleman; T. O’Connell, B. O’Sullivan; D. Fitzgibbon, S. Barrett, S. Harnedy, B. Roche, D. Dalton, A. Connolly.
B. Hayes for Roche, T. O’Mahony for O’Sullivan (both half-time); R. O’Flynn for Dalton (48); H. O’Connor for Harnedy (64); B. Keating for Fitzgibbon (70).
M. Kennedy (Tipperary).
