All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Cork 6-25 Offaly 2-11
Cork’s twin towers wreaked havoc on a youthful Offaly side as Brian Hayes grabbed a hat-trick and Alan Walsh marked his first championship start with 2-1 as the Rebels strolled into an All-Ireland semi-final against Galway.
Having gone the entire second half of the Munster final without a point from play, Cork got that game out of their system with 14 different scorers contributing 6-18 from play in front of 40,185 at Semple Stadium.
Their 6-25 total was one short of the 6-26 they posted against the Faithful in the league when they won by 24 points. Here, they won by 26.
Having arrived at the quarter-finals quicker than expected in their development curve, Offaly felt every second of the longest day of the year, although two late goals made the final score seem less bleak.
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This was a non-contest from the off, with Cork streaking into a 3-7 to 0-2 lead inside 16 minutes.
The first goal arrived in the fifth minute. Walsh beat three Offaly defenders to Mark Coleman’s sideline cut and had the easiest of finishes.
Coleman arrowed over one point and laid on a pair for his Blarney clubmate Shane Barrett, who was enjoying the freedom of Thurles.
Alan Connolly pointed after a Hawkeye check and almost had Cork’s second goal, but crashed his shot on to the near post.
Brian Duignan slotted Offaly’s first point from play before the Rebels buried them with two goals in the space of a minute.
The first originated from Damien Cahalane blocking down Duignan, one of many such instances in the first half. Seán O’Donoghue passed to Hayes, who spun inside to beat the goalkeeper.
When Diarmuid Healy sent the next ball in high, Walsh was again alert to catch it uncontested and fire in off the back stanchion. After 16 minutes, they led by 14.
Darragh Fitzgibbon had a point chalked off as Hawkeye intervened to award a previous Duignan shot, which had initially been waved wide.
In the 28th minute, the returning captain played the link man for a Barrett one-two as the centre-forward rifled to the net.
Ciarán Burke made three goal-saving interventions, denying Fitzgibbon and Robert Downey, and blocking Walsh’s hat-trick attempt out for a 65. Connolly’s dead ball was waved wide after a third lengthy referral to Hawkeye.
Before the break, Walsh got in again. Having lost his hurley, he handpassed for Hayes to bat home. They led by 23 points, 5-14 to 0-6, at the break.
After five minutes had been added to the end of the opening period, chiefly on account of shots being double-checked, a loud cheer greeted the half-time announcement that Hawkeye would not be used for the remainder of the game.
Hayes had his hat-trick soon after the resumption after Hugh O’Connor’s solo run created the opening in the 38th minute. Barrett and Fitzgibbon – who jointly contributed 1-5 – were soon withdrawn, their day’s work done.
Eoghan Cahill then smacked the crossbar before Offaly netted two quick-fire goals. Substitute Oisín Kelly fended off Cahalane to send a low dart to the far corner before Adam Screeney robbed O’Donoghue and received the return pass from Kelly to finish.
CORK: P Collins; S O’Donoghue (0-1), D Cahalane, N O’Leary; E Downey (0-1), R Downey (0-1), M Coleman (0-1); B Roche (0-2), H O’Connor; D Fitzgibbon (0-2, 1f), S Barrett (1-3), D Healy (0-2); A Connolly (0-7, 4f, 2′65), B Hayes (3-0), A Walsh (2-1). Subs: W Buckley (0-1) for Barrett (44 mins), B Walsh for Hayes (44), S Harnedy (0-2) for Roche, R O’Flynn (0-1) for Fitzgibbon (both 52), G Millerick for Coleman (58).
OFFALY: L Hoare (0-1); B Conneely, C Burke, P Taaffe; R Ravenhill, K Sampson, T Guinan (0-1); D Ravenhill, C King; S Rigney, D Bourke (0-1), C Doyle; E Cahill (0-2, 1f, 1′65), B Duignan (0-3), A Screeney (1-3, 1f, 1′65). Subs: R Kelly for R Ravenhill (ht), O Kelly (1-0) for Rigney (41 mins), C Spain for D Ravenhill (48), E Burke for Cahill (51), L Watkins for Doyle (65).
Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
