Cork - 311 Offaly 1-15 Don't mention the name Kieran Murphy to Offaly. Cork fielded two forwards with the name and both shared the goals which kept the Leesiders' winning run intact at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.
The Sarsfields' version crashed home an injury-time goal in the last seconds to deny gallant Offaly, who led by four points with seven minutes remaining and looked like winners, despite playing against the howling wind.
A draw might have been a fairer outcome, but an experimental Cork recovered from being 0-12 to 0-3 in arrears at the break to fashion victory in dramatic circumstances.
Offaly found the range with some magnificent points in the opening minutes, with Rory and Gary Hanniffy, Brian Carroll, Michael Cordial and Kevin and Joe Brady all getting in on the act.
Only one Cork forward, Jonathan O'Callaghan, managed to get on the scoresheet with two points from frees and midfielder John Gardiner, playing his first game of the campaign, supplied the other.
Cork wasted little time in eating into Offaly's lead on the change of ends. The Erin's Own Kieran Murphy whipped in the first goal after 39 minutes, before the Sarsfield equivalent repeated the trick four minutes later to alter the trend.
O'Callaghan scored another free 11 minutes from the end of normal time to make it a one-point game, 0-13 to 2-6, only for Offaly to pounce for their only goal. Joe Brady rattled the net to restore his side's advantage.
Joe Deane might have goaled for Cork after being introduced, but had to settle for a point, and two more frees from O'Callaghan left Offaly hanging on.
As the contest went into injury-time, O'Callaghan set up Murphy for the clinching goal with the final whistle sounding after the puck-out.
CORK: D Og Cusack; W Sherlock, D O'Sullivan, M Prendergast; G Callinan, R Curran, C O'Connor; J Gardiner (0-1), P Tierney (0-2); J O'Callaghan (0-7, 0-6 from frees), M Byrne, K Murphy (Erin's Own, 1-0); K Murphy (Sarsfields, 2-0), B Lombard, S McGrath. Subs: J Deane (0-1) for McGrath, N McCarthy for Murphy (Erin's Own), T Kenny for Gardiner, E Fitzgerald for Lombard.
OFFALY: B Mullins; B Teehan, G Oakley, D Franks; N Claffey, Brian Whelehan, C Cassidy (0-2); N Mannion, B Carroll (0-2); R Hanniffy (0-5, 0-4 from frees), G Hanniffy (0-2), B Murphy (0-1); M Cordial (0-1), J Brady (1-1), D Murray. Subs: K Brady (0-1) for Claffey, D Hayden for Mannion, Barry Whelehan for Murray.
Referee: P Ahern (Carlow)
