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All-Ireland SFC Qualifier Round 2 Cork v Limerick

All Ireland SFC Round Two

Cork 2-18 Limerick 1-16

Ultimately Cork did what was required to eke out a win earning an All Ireland SFC quarter-final berth.

John Cleary’s outfit enjoyed some encouraging moments at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and were sufficiently durable to deal with a Limerick second half burst.

The fact that Cork substitute Paul Walsh was sent off in the closing stages offered another test, but Cork were able to find the answers.

Initially Steven Sherlock’s accuracy was a critical factor as six opening period points from the St Finbarr’s clubman ensured the locals led 0-8 to 0-7 at the interval.

After the restart it remained hard fought as Hugh Bourke levelled from a free for Limerick.

Cork edged 0-10 to 0-9 ahead and then Limerick’s Gordon Brown was black carded before Bourke restored parity again.

Eoghan McSweeney and Brian Hurley landed vital points and then Cathail O’Mahony planted a 50th minute major for Cork. It was a critical moment.

John O’Rourke and Sherlock added further points for Cork, but Limerick summoned a response.

Brian Donovan netted a goal for Limerick, who narrowed the gap to two with Walsh subsequently sent off.

Cork, though, remained cool with Hurley converting a penalty with ice cool precision following a foul on Kevin O’Donovan. Limerick, who had such a productive 2022 campaign, just couldn’t recover on this occasion.

Scorers for Cork: Steven Sherlock 0-8 (5fs, 145), Brian Hurley 1-2 (1-0 pen), Cathail O’Mahony 1-0, John O’Rourke 0-3, Eoghan McSweeney 0-2, Kevin O’Donovan, Colm O’Callaghan, and Damien Gore 0-1 each.

Scorers for Limerick: Hugh Bourke 0-5 (4fs), Adrian Enright 0-4, Brian Donovan 1-0, Josh Ryan and Gordon Brown 0-2 each, Cian Sheehan, Robbie Burke, and James Naughton 0-1 each.

Cork: Micheal Martin; Seán Powter, Maurice Shanley, Kevin O’Donovan; John Cooper, Rory Maguire, Mattie Taylor; Ian Maguire, Colm O’Callaghan; Eoghan McSweeney, John O’Rourke, Daniel Dineen; Steven Sherlock, Brian Hurley, Cathail O’Mahony.

Subs: Jack Cahalane for Dineen (53), Paul Walsh for McSweeney (60), Cian Kiely for Sherlock (68).

Limerick: Donal O’Sullivan; Seán O’Dea, Brian Fanning, Jim Liston; Cian Sheehan, Iain Corbett, Gordon Brown; Darragh Treacy, Cillian Fahy; Adrian Enright, Brian Donovan, Pádraig De Brún; Peter Nash, Robbie Burke, Hugh Bourke.

Subs: James Naughton for De Brún (HT), Josh Ryan for Nash (56), Paul Maher for Brown (56), Michael Donovan for Liston (56), Killian Ryan for Burke (66).

Referee: Jerome Henry (Mayo).

The Cork Senior Football team to play Limerick has been announced

Christopher Kelly (Éire Óg)
Sean Powter (Douglas)
Maurice Shanley (Clonakilty)
Kevin O’Donovan (Nemo Rangers)
John Cooper (Éire Óg)
Rory Maguire (Castlehaven)
Mattie Taylor (Mallow)
Ian Maguire (St Finbarr’s)
Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg)
Daniel Dineen (Cill na Martra)
Eoghan McSweeney (Knocknagree)
John O’Rourke (Carbery Rangers)
Steven Sherlock (St Finbarr’s)
Brian Hurley (Castlehaven) Captain
Cathail O’Mahony (Mitchelstown)
Micheál Aodh Martin (Nemo Rangers)
Paul Ring (Aghabullogue)
Tadhg Corkery (Cill na Martra)
Tommy Walsh (Kanturk)
Cian Kiely (Ballincollig)
Paul Walsh (Kanturk)
Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s)
Jack Cahalane (Castlehaven)
Damien Gore (Kilmacabea)
Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers)
Blake Murphy (St Vincents)

Extra Panel Members; Conor Corbett (Clyda Rovers), Luke Fahy (Ballincollig), Shane Merritt (Mallow), Paudie Allen (Newmarket), Killian O’Hanlon (Kilshannig) Joe Grimes (Clonakilty), Kieran Histon (Nemo Rangers), Dylan Foley (Éire Óg), Kevin Flahive (Douglas), Cillian O’Donovan (Macroom), Fionn Herlihy (Dohenys), Kevin Cremin (Boherbue), Briain Murphy (Nemo Rangers), Alan Walsh (Kanturk), Daniel O’Connell (Kanturk), Darragh Cashman (Millstreet), David Buckley (Newcestown), Chris Óg Jones (Iveleary), Liam O’Donovan, Gavin Creedon (Kilshannig), Daniel Meaney (St Michael’s) Aidan Browne (Newmarket) Daniel O’Mahony (Knocknagree) Sean Meehan (Kiskeam) Nathan Walsh (Douglas) Conor O’Callaghan (Dromtarriffe)

The Cork Minor Football team to play Derry has been announced

Josh Woods (Valley Rovers)
Mark O’Sullivan (Bantry Blues)
Colin Molloy (Nemo Rangers)
Kieran McCarthy (Carrigaline)
Darragh O’Donovan (Bishopstown)
Gearoid Daly (Mallow)
Aaron Cullinane (Clonakilty)
Colm Geary (Kilshannig)
Colm Gillespie (Aghabullogue) Captain
Mark Kelleher (Mallow)
Ed Myers (Naomh Abán)
Alan O’Connell (Kilshannig)
Bryan Hayes (Nemo Rangers)
Gearoid Kearney (Kinsale)
Olan O’Donovan (Barryroe)
Eoin O’Flynn (Douglas)
Shane O’Connell (Castlehaven)
James Burke (Douglas)
Colm Clifford (Éire Óg)
Neville O’Leary (Douglas)
Sean Coakley (Douglas)
Darragh Gough (Clonakilty)
Aaron O’Sullivan (Aghabullogue)
Ben O’Sullivan (Adrigole)

Extended Panel Members; Dan Andrews (St Colm’s) injured, Sean Óg Kenneally (Killara Óg, Kilworth), Tim O’Brien (Nemo Rangers) injured, Aidan Kelly (Clyda Rovers), Aaron O’Mahony (Kilmurry), Hugh Linehan (Millstreet), Conor Fitzpatrick (Kinsale), Trevor Kiely (Doneraile), Sean Mac an tSaoi (Valley Rovers), Robert Quirke (Ballinora), Artjoms Petrov (Nemo Rangers)

Downey says Cork won’t take Antrim for granted

By John Harrington for gaa.ie

Rob Downey insists the Cork hurlers won’t take Antrim for granted in Saturday’s All-Ireland SHC Preliminary Quarter-Final on Saturday.

The Saffrons are on a high after winning the Joe McDonagh Cup last weekend and Downey knows the confidence they’ll take from that combined with home advantage in Corrigan Park will make them very tricky opponents.

“They’re a very well-balanced side,” said Downey at the launch of the All-Ireland SHC series national launch yesterday.

“Both their backs and they’ve some fantastic forwards. Household names like Neil McManus, Keelan Molloy, and a couple more.

“And I suppose going up there as well it will be a hostile enough environment. It’s a small field and I think tickets sold out in an hour so it’ll be packed out as well.

“Their confidence will be up as well because of obviously after the Joe McDonagh Cup Final and they’ll bring a big support. We need to be on our game if we’re to turn them over.

“We can’t really look too far forward otherwise we’ll slip up. To be honest, all our focus and preparation has been on Antrim, we just hope we can get over the line.

“We’ll have our work cut out for us and if you even only look at the Westmeath-Wexford match recently, you wouldn’t have expected Westmeath to draw with Wexford. So, yeah, we need to be on our game big-time to avoid a slip-up.”

The character as well as ability of this Cork team was questioned after they were well-beaten in the Allianz Hurling League Final by Waterford and then started their Munster SHC campaign with back to back defeats to Limerick and Clare.

Downey says the players were able to shut out that outside commentary and never lost faith in their own ability to have a say in this year’s Championship.

“To be honest with you, whatever was being said about our character or whatever, we didn’t take too much notice of it.

“We didn’t take any notice of it to be honest with you. We knew inside that we have a good group, and if we trusted each other and stayed tight, stuck to our process and stayed positive, we’d be able to turn Waterford over, and thankfully we did.

“For us, we felt we were doing good things in games but we just probably weren’t coming together for the 70 minutes. Our backs were to the wall against Waterford and we could maybe play with a bit more abandon while sticking to the game-plan and process too.

“Thankfully it just came together for us on the day and that gave us a bit of confidence. Going on to the Tipp game then it was more or less the same thing. Luckily enough we came third in Munster and here we are now.”