A second Mayo goal from the penalty spot with the last kick of the first half helped them to a 2-8 to 0-3 half time lead, and despite Cork having the advantage of a stiff enough breeze at Cusack Park in the second half, there was no denying Mayo their place in the penultimate stage where they will play Armagh.
Deane’s early goal – his first of two – settled Mayo into their work, and by the time Cork defender Oisin Harrington scored the Rebels’ first point in the eighth minute, Mayo had 1-3 on the board. Suffice to say, Mayo’s superiority in every department was obvious, with the beaten Munster finalists second best to a hard-working and more skilful Mayo.
Kobe McDonald (3) and David Hurley extended Mayo’s lead to nine points before Sean Whelton converted a Cork free, and after Danny Miskella pointed again for Cork, Whelton had to turn from corner-forward poacher to goalkeeper.
A minute into added time at the end of the half, Andrew Quinn played in Dylan Flynn on the Cork goal, and as the Mayo man tried to take the ball around James O’Flaherty for what would have been a simple goal, the Douglas man fouled Flynn. The result was a black card for the Cork ’keeper and a penalty for Mayo, which McDonald slotted past Whelton who had to deputise between the posts.
By the time O’Flaherty returned in the 41st minute Mayo were 2-11 to 0-3 ahead and there was no way back for Cork. Whelton (2) and Dylan O’Neill mined a few consolation scores in the final quarter for Cork, but Mayo iced the win with a third goal, Flynn sending McDonald into the clear who then unselfishly teed up Deane for a tap in goal to make it 3-13 to 0-5 after 52 minutes, and that was that.
Scorers:
Mayo: O Deane 2-3, K McDonald 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-2f), M Sheerin 0-2, T Hession 0-1, D Hurley 0-1, D Flynn 0-1 (m)
Cork: S Whelton 0-3 (2f), O Harrington 0-1, D Kinsella 0-1, D O’Neill 0-1
TEAMS:
MAYO: Nathan Roddy, Conor Coghill, Tom Hession, Daithi Butler, David Hurley, Mark Noonan, Mark Sheerin, Josh Moyles, Owen Loughney, Barry Langan, Kobe McDonald, Dylan Flynn, Joe Farry, Oisin Deane, Andrew Quinn.
Subs: Harry McHale for Quinn (45), Fionn Ó Cinnsella for Farry (45), Conor Kavanagh for Loughney (54), Jack O’Malley for Flynn (56), Derry Óg Cox for McHale (59)
CORK: James O’Flaherty, Oisin Harrington, Niall O’Shea, Billy Ryan, Cian Cooney, Aaron Keane, Cian O’Connor, Padraig Tobin, Jack Trench, Harry Cogan, Danny Miskella, Cathal McCarthy, Humphrey Canty, Dylan O’Neill, Sean Whelton.
Subs: Liam Kelliher for Cooney (12), Danny O’Donovan for O’Connor (28), Joe Mouret for Cogan (42), Ben Delaney for Canty (48), Padraig McGrath for Tobin (52)
REFEREE: Niall Quinn (Clare)
