Donegal ease past hapless Cork as MacNiallais stars

Donegal 2-14 Cork 1-07

Donegal’s great start to the league continued with an emphatic win over Cork in Fr. Tierney Park, Ballyshannon.

Donegal made light of the poor conditions with driving rain and wind to brush aside a weak Cork challenge.

The Leesiders were kept scoreless for some 40 minutes from the 23rd minute of the opening half until eight minutes of the end of normal time.

Donegal were in control for most of the game but they did allow Cork cut a six point lead to the minimum with a surge at the start of the second quarter. Donegal had opened with 1-4 in 15 minutes, the goal a well worked move involving Martin O’Reilly and Eoin McHugh with O’Reilly finished in style.

The opening period was also noteworthy for a super Michael Murphy free from fully 50 metres.

Cork hit 1-3 in six minutes and it seemed as if the contest would be close but Donegal closed out the opening half with five unanswered points to lead by 1-9 to 1-3 at the break. Odhran MacNiallais and Patrick McBrearty were particularly impressive in the score taking department, hitting great points from long range.

Despite losing Ciaran Thompson to a black card within minutes of the restart, Donegal were still in the ascendancy and when MacNiallais hit a screamer for the second goal on 53 minutes, there was no way back for Cork. It was a move that was equally as good as the first half goal with Michael Murphy at the fulcrum and carried on by the McHughs and Neil McGee before MacNiallais finished in style.

Donegal only added a point in the final quarter, but it could have been a third goal as Patrick McBrearty skimmed the crossbar with a piledriver.

Daniel Goulding (two), Mark Collins and Brian O’Driscoll hit late Cork points to put a little bit of respectability on the scoreline for the losers, who never showed the form which saw them brush Mayo aside in the opening round.

Afterwards Donegal manager was happy that Donegal had continued their good win: “It’s great to have won two and it is probably unchartered territory for ourselves in Division 1 over the last couple of years in particular,” said Donegal manager, Rory Gallagher.

“It’s very pleasing to have two wins on the board going into the break.

“And to have won the opening games means we are in a good position though we are well aware there are a few tough battles down the road in the second half of the league.

“The plan now for the second half of the league is to get some of the older lads back playing and game time,” said Gallagher.

Donegal: P Boyle; E Doherty, N McGee, E McGee; P McGrath; R McHugh, A Thompson (0-02); O MacNiallais (1-04), H McFadden; E McHugh, F McGlynn (0-01), C Thompson (0-01); P McBrearty (0-04,2f), M Murphy (0-01,f), M O'Reilly (1-01). Subs: R Kavanagh for C Thompson, bcard 37; L McLoone for O'Reilly 53; M McElhinney for N McGee 55; E Ban Gallagher for E Doherty 58; N Gallagher for H McFadden 63; M Carroll for E McHugh 64

Cork: B O'Connell; C O'Driscoll, J O'Sullivan, K Crowley; T Clancy, B O'Driscoll (0-01), R Deane; I Maguire, M Collins (0-01); A O'Sullivan, P Kerrigan, D Og Hodnett (1-00); D Goulding (0-5,3f), P Kelleher, B Hurley. Subs: D O'Connor for Deane 49; F Gould for Maguire 53; K O'Hanlon for Hodnett 55; C O'Neill for Hurley 63; D MacEoin for Goulding 68.

Referee: J McQuillan (Cavan).