Mayo v Cork - All-Ireland Football Championship Final
Jubilee Team: Cork 1989
By Brian Murphy
On Sunday, Cork's All-Ireland winning football team from 1989 will be honoured at Croke Park, where they will be presented to the crowd before the All-Ireland SFC final between Kerry and Donegal.
Twenty-five years ago, Cork famously beat Mayo by 0-17 to 1-11 in a hugely exciting final, and brought the Sam Maguire Cup back to the Rebel County for the first time in 16 years.
Having lost the 1987 and '88 finals to Meath, it was a hugely important win for one of the finest teams of that era, a side studded with luminaries of the game such as Larry Tompkins, Shay Fahy Conor Counihan, Niall Cahalane, Teddy McCarthy, Tony Davis, Dave Barry and Dinny Allen amongst others.
Cork were managed by the great Billy Morgan, who was the goalkeeper on the Rebels' last All-Ireland winning team in 1973.
Cork led the game by 0-10 to 0-8 at the break, but Anthony Finnerty's 38th minute goal gave Mayo the lead. Cork hit back to equalise through Dave Barry, and a brace of scores from John Cleary handed the Rebels the initiative.
However, Mayo grabbed it back and led once again with 16 minutes remaining, but that proved to be Westerners' last score of the game. The late Mick McCarthy (2) and Teddy McCarthy hit the all-important scores as the Rebels finally got their hands back on Sam.
Nemo Rangers' Dinny Allen was the captain on that famous day and Cork went on to win another title in 1990, beating Meath in the decider and thus cementing their place among the pantheon of great teams to win back-to-back All-Ireland titles.
The legacy of the team and their achievements were felt far beyond those All-Ireland wins, however, with Conor Counihan and Larry Tompkins going on to manage the county's senior football team, John Cleary guiding the U21s and Denis Walsh the Rebels' senior hurling team.
One of the most feted football teams ever to represent Cork, their story is not without tragedy, as two of the side that faced Mayo on September 17, 1989 died in tragic circumstances in the years after.
In 1998, O'Donovan Rossa clubman Mick McCarthy, who made a crucial impact after coming on as a sub against Mayo, died in a tragic car accident when he was still in the prime of his life, aged just 32. His son Stephen will represent him at Croke Park on Sunday.
The side's goalkeeper and two-time All Star John Kerins tragically died of cancer in 2001 aged 39. The late St Finbarr's great will be represented by his son, John, in Croke Park on Sunday.
(Photo: The late, great John Kerins in action against Mayo in the 1989 All-Ireland final).
CORK (1989 All-Ireland Final v Mayo): John Kerins; Niall Cahalane, Stephen O'Brien, Jimmy Kerrigan; Mick Slocum, Conor Counihan, Tony Davis; Teddy McCarthy (0-2), Shay Fahy; Dave Barry (0-3), Larry Tompkins (0-4), Barry Coffey; Paul McGrath (0-3), Denis Allen (Capt.), John Cleary (0-3). Subs: John O'Driscoll, Michael McCarthy (0-2), Danny Culloty.
Being honoured on Sunday are: John Kerins (represented by son John), Denis Walsh, Tony Nation, Stephen O' Brien, Colman Corrigan, Mick Slocum, Conor Counihan, Niall Cahalane, Mick Burns, Barry Coffey, Danny Culloty, Paddy Hayes, Teddy McCarthy, Dinny Allen, Jimmy Kerrigan, Larry Tompkins, John Cleary, Shea Fahy, Michael McCarthy (represented by son Stephen), Mick Maguire, Tony Davis, Dave Barry, Eoin O'Mahony, Paul McGrath, John O'Driscoll, Colm O'Neill (represented by brother Niall).
