Tyrone forward Cathal Farley. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Electric Ireland MFC Quarter-Final
Tyrone 1-21 ( 1-2-17) Cork 1-12 (1-1-10)
By Francis Mooney at Laois Hire O'Moore Park
Tyrone staged a storming finish at Laois Hire O’Moore Park to book their place in the All-Ireland MFC semi-finals, reeling off a string of late scores to secure a nine points win over Cork.
The Munster runners-up were unable to sustain a recovery which saw them close a nine point gap to four early in the second half, as their challenge ran out of steam
Tyrone’s furious start caught the Rebels cold, and inside four minutes they were six points clear.
James Mulgrew’s two-pointer was followed by a Cathal Farley goal, as he finished from close range after Rory Twohig had saved from Thomas Meenan.
Eoin Maguire and Jack Byerley were on target for Cork, but the Ulster champions were dominating the middle through Mulgrew, Donaghy and James Daly, keeping them on the front foot as they stretched the advantage to nine, with Farley adding a point and Peter Colton and Eoin Ling also on target.
With Cathal McCarthy emerging as a huge presence around the central third, Cork began to build attacking momentum, and were the dominant force in the closing ten minutes of the half.
Maguire knocked over a free, before full forward Ben Corkery Delaney set the game alight with 1-2 in the space of three minutes.
His goal was something special, a rocked to the roof of the net after he had risen majestically to fetch Donagh Flynn’s booming delivery and turn his marker.
Now just three points separated the sides, but the Red Hands recovered their composure, finishing strongly with a Colton two-pointer and scores from Farley and Meenan to lead by 1-13 to 1-7 at the break.
Corkery Delaney brought the Leesiders to within four points as he raised an orange flag, and with the wind now in their backs, they pushed forward in numbers.
Defences were on top during a sense spell, and while McCarthy, Brian Cronin and Aaron Keane stood tall for Cork, it was the the Ulster lads who forced the decisive turnovers to transition at pace and craft scoring chances.
Elliot Kerr, James Daly and Ciaran McCrystal all stepped in with important challenges to halt their southern opponents in their tracks, and the front men did the rest, with Colton and Long applying the classy finishes.
They pressed home the advantage with a string of scores from Joel Kerr, Long and substitute Pearse McDonald.
Long brought his tally for the day to six with a couple of late conversions to send his side safely to the last four.
Scorers for Tyrone: C Farley 1-2, E Long 0-6 (3fs), P Colton 0-4 (1tp), J Mulgrew (tp), J Kerr (1f, 1 ’45), T Meenan 0-2 each, A Quinn, P McDonald, M Kennedy 0-1 each.
Scorers for Cork: B Corkery Delaney 1-4 (1tp), E Maguire 0-4 (3fs), L O’Mahony, J Brylerly (f) 0-1 each, D Flynn, D McCarthy 0-1 each.
Tyrone: R Donnelly; E Kerr, P Goodman, C McCrystal; A Quinn, J Daly, T Meenan; J Mulgrew, P Donaghy; D McAnespie, P Colton, C Farley; J Kerr, E Long, M Kennedy.
Subs: V Gormley for Kennedy (42), M Mullin for E Kerr (47), M Daly for McAnespie (50), P McDonald for J Kerr (55), H Patton for Farley (56).
Cork: R Twohig; B Coffey, A Keane, M Kiernan; J Miskella, C McCarthy, B Cronin; S Kelleher Leavy, R Hayes; L O’Mahony, D Flynn, S Long; J Byerley, B Corkery Delaney, E Maguire.
Subs: J Hanrahan for Kelleher Leavy (21), E Collins for Long (29), D McCarthy for Byerley (33), T Whooley for O’Mahony (40), J O’Leary for Miskella (51).
Referee: C Ryan (Galway).
