Cork beat Dublin without exuberance as they clinch All-Ireland semi-final spot

All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Cork 0-26 Dublin 0-21

Cork are through to the All-Ireland semi-final, but without the exuberance and energy that saved their season a month ago. A game that had been largely lifeless and bloodless ended with Cork defending a little desperately and Dublin finally realising that there was less to be afraid of than they had probably imagined.

Cork did enough in the second and third quarters to remove any doubt from the outcome and at one stage early in the second half they pulled nine points clear. But for the first time this summer they failed to score a goal, and they created just a couple of goalscoring chances.

With a 10-point haul Patrick Horgan drew level with TJ Reid at the top of the all-time scorers charts, but he was the only one of Cork’s inside forward line to have a productive afternoon. Brian Hayes and Alan Connolly were both replaced, with just a point between the two of them to show for their efforts.

After their annihilation in the Leinster final Dublin cleared their heads and straightened themselves up, but there was a ceiling to their threat. Donal Burke, their perennial top scorer and one of the best free takers in the country, had a meltdown from dead balls and after his fourth missed free the responsibility was passed to Sean Currie. Burke finished the game with more wides than scores, and Dublin’s dependence on him is simply too great to absorb that turn of events.

Cork started clearing their bench midway through the second half and their already flawed performance became fractured. Dublin ran hard at Cork in the final ten minutes and found more space than any functioning defence would countenance. Cork, though, were all over the place by then and Dublin went hunting for goals. Ronan Hayes blazed one shot wide, and Donal Burke had a free saved on the line by Niall O’Leary. Shortly afterwards the panic ended.

Unlike the Leinster final Dublin settled into the game, without much objection from Cork. Dublin’s passing was more accurate and not as stressed as it had been against Kilkenny and, early on especially, they had room to breathe.

Conor Burke made a terrific start at centrefield, Sean Currie got his hands on some possession as Dublin’s only attacker close to goal and Dublin matched Cork score for score in the opening 15 minutes.

The sloppiness and lack of concentration that had sabotaged Cork’s performance against Offaly a week ago was not corrected straight from the throw-in and it had not been fully addressed by half-time either, though their focus improved as the half wore on.

Cork forced some turnovers in the Dublin half and put significant pressure on Dublin’s puck-outs. Shane Barrett, who has been Cork’s most consistent forward this summer, was a constant menace and his wing men, Declan Dalton and Seamus Harnedy, were productive too.

Cork’s inside had been critical to their victories over Limerick and Clare, but that spark was missing. Connolly had reportedly been unwell in the build-up to the Offaly game and was replaced in Tullamore early in the second half, without scoring. In the first half here he was anonymous again, seemingly unable to cope with Eoghan O’Donnell’s close attention. He improved in the second half, without coming close to his Munster championship form.

Cork’s two goal chances in the first half both fell to Horgan. For the first, he was played in by Barrett, but he tried to manoeuvre a batted finish when he had more than enough time and space to strike the ball with an orthodox swing. Granted half a chance O’Donnell lunged at Horgan and smothered the shot.

Horgan’s other chance was not as clearcut and Dublin’s scramble defence made a strong intervention again. This time Horgan managed to retain possession and take a point on the swivel.

Cork did not take the lead for the first time until the 10th minute and they trailed for the last time two minutes later. By half-time they were five points clear, 0-15 to 0-10, and when they rattled off opening four points of the second half without reply it looked like they might streak clear.

But they went eight minutes without a score in the middle of the second half, and a game that had been drifting towards an inevitable took an unexpected turn. Dublin’s got a bounce from their bench and O’Donnell made an appreciable difference when he was switched to centrefield.

By the end, there was one loser and two teams wondering how much better they could have been.

Cork: P Collins, N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue, T O’Mahony, C Joyce, M Coleman, D Fitzgibbon, L Meade (0-1), D Dalton (0-6, three frees), S Barrett (0-2), S Harnedy (0-2), P Horgan (0-10, seven frees), A Connolly, B Hayes (0-1).

Subs: S Kingston for Harnedy 49 mins; T O’Connell for Meade 49 mins; G Millerick for Fitzgibbon 60 mins; R O’Flynn 0-2 for Hayes 61 mins; C Lehane for Connolly 67 mins

Dublin: S Brennan, J Bellew, E O’Donnell, P Smyth, C Crummey (0-3), C Donohoe, D Gray, B Hayes (0-2), C Burke (0-4), D Sutcliffe, D Burke (0-3, two frees), S Currie (0-6, three frees), D Power, P Crummey, M Grogan.

Subs: R Hayes for P Crummey (temporary 44 mins – 70+4); P Doyle (0-1) for Gray 48 mins; D O’Dulaing for Grogan 54 mins; J Madden for Donohoe 60 mins; F Whitely for B Hayes 64 mins

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)