CORK 1-17

LOUTH 1-12

MATTHEW HURLEY REPORTS

TWO games. Two wins. Job done.

This also marks the first time Cork have won their opening two games in Division 2 since their relegation from the top tier in 2016, and it means John Cleary’s side sit at the top of the league table after two rounds.

In truth, the Rebels were rarely troubled in Drogheda on Sunday, as they built a 1–10 to 0–5 half-time lead that gave them a valuable cushion and allowed them to manage the game in the second half.

Having lost their last two away league games in Louth, this was a notable and significant win that sets Cork up nicely for the next block of matches: away to Offaly on February 15th, at home to Meath, and then away to Derry.

‘We wanted to come up and win, and we did,’ Cleary said afterwards.

‘I thought it was a good performance. We controlled the game but didn’t take our scores again when we should have. A couple of goal chances butchered. But anytime Louth looked to be coming back at us, we weathered that bit of a storm and steadied the ship.’

Cork bossed the middle third, especially in the first half, with Seán Walsh and Seán McDonnell winning vital breaks around the centre. Claiming 40 percent of Louth’s kick-outs gave the Rebels the perfect platform to build attacks and push on towards victory.

‘We won a lot of breaks, which for 60 minutes against Cavan we didn’t do. We stressed that during the week. In these tight games, you have to be winning the breaks and that was the winning of the game for us,’ the Cork boss explained.

Both sides exchanged two points each in the early stages, as Louth captain Sam Mulroy and Cork pair Luke Fahy and Steven Sherlock all found their range. Tommy Walsh then gave the Leesiders a 0–3 to 0–2 advantage inside ten minutes before Cork’s Chris Óg Jones and Louth’s Conor Grimes swapped scores.

Mark Cronin restored Cork’s two-point lead before the Rebels rattled the net. After Daniel O’Mahony won a Cork kick-out, Brian Hurley quickly released Jones through on goal. The Uibh Laoire man rounded Louth netminder Tiernan Markey and calmly rustled the net. Cork led 1–5 to 0–3 on 18 minutes.

Louth star men Mulroy and Craig Lennon reduced the gap to three, but five unanswered points from Cork – the highlight being two-pointers from Hurley and Sherlock – gave the Rebels a commanding eight-point buffer at the break.

‘There was a bit of a breeze there and we knew we needed a cushion going in at half time but we couldn’t force it either,’ Cleary added.

‘Louth have had some very good comebacks before so we knew unless we were really on our game, they’d be let back in. They started the second half well but we weathered that storm again.’

Like the first period, the second half began with both sides hitting two points apiece, as Sherlock and McDonnell pointed for Cork to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The Leinster champions then scored the next three points in a row to drag themselves back into contention. It was suddenly 1–12 to 0–10 with 20 minutes still to go, and momentum beginning to shift.

Louth, desperate to find a way to level matters, were repeatedly repelled by a stubborn and disciplined Cork defence, as key turnovers from Clonakilty’s Maurice Shanley stopped any real home momentum from developing.

Up front, Cleary’s side could have put the game to bed shortly after that spell, but two clear goal chances from Rory Maguire and Tommy Walsh were wasted. Yet more missed opportunities to add to a long and frustrating list of goal chances spurned by the Rebels over the last year.

Cork stayed calm and composed, however, as McDonnell and three Sherlock placed balls stretched the lead out to nine points with time almost up. Late on, a Ciarán Downey two-pointer and a fortuitous Dermot Campbell goal put a touch of respectability on the final scoreline for Louth.

OUR STAR: Maurice Shanley probably had his best performance yet in a Cork jersey, but it’s still hard to look past Steven Sherlock, who finished with an impressive 0–8.

Scorers

Cork: Steven Sherlock 0-8 (4f, 1 45, 1 2ptf); Chris Óg Jones 1-1; Mark Cronin, Brian Hurley (2pt), Seán McDonnell 0-2 each; Luke Fahy, Tommy Walsh 0-1 each.

Louth: Sam Mulroy 0-6 (3f, 1 45); Ciarán Downey 0-3 (2pt); Dermot Campbell 1-0; Craig Lennon, Conor Grimes, Tadhg McDonnell 0-1 each.

Cork: Patrick Doyle (Knocknagree); Maurice Shanley (Clonakilty), Daniel O’Mahony (captain, Knocknagree), Tommy Walsh (Kanturk); Luke Fahy (Ballincollig), Brian O’Driscoll (Carrigaline), Matty Taylor (Mallow); Colm O’Callaghan (Éire Óg), Seán Walsh (Mitchelstown); Paul Walsh (Kanturk), Seán McDonnell (Mallow), Mark Cronin (Nemo Rangers); Steven Sherlock (St Finbarr’s), Brian Hurley (Castlehaven), Chris Óg Jones (Uibh Laoire).

Subs: Rory Maguire (Castlehaven) for M Taylor (46); Ian Maguire (St Finbarr’s) for S Walsh (temp, 48); Ruairí Deane (Bantry Blues) for P Walsh (53); Dara Sheedy (Bantry Blues) for M Cronin (59); Conor Daly (Clonakilty) for B Hurley (68); Jacob O’Driscoll (Valley Rovers) for B O’Driscoll (69).

Louth: Tiernan Markey; Padraic Tinnelly, Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny; Eoghan Callaghan, Peter Lynch, Craig Lennon; Dara McDonnell, Conor Early; Paul Matthews, Sam Mulroy (captain), Conor Grimes; Ciarán Keenan, Ciarán Downey, Ryan Burns.

Subs: Tadhg McDonnell for E Callaghan (ht); Seán Callaghan for P Matthews (45); Daire Nally for C Grimes (55); Conall McCaul for C Keenan (58); Seán Reynolds for C Early (63).

Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow).