All-Ireland champions Cork were assured and comfortable as they easily accounted for Dublin in the first of this afternoon's two Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior semi-finals, with Amy Lee’s first minute penalty save setting them on a straight path to a comprehensive victory at UPMC Nowlan Park.
When Emma Flanagan pulled down Claire Gannon’s high ball and was dragged to the ground, Dublin had a glorious chance to take a huge step towards their first All-Ireland senior final appearance since 1986.
Aisling Maher’s penalty was hit at good height for the Cork custodian to parry the ball clear however, and while Maher followed up with the first score of the game from a free two minutes later, Cork took over from there and wasted no time in asserting their superiority.
The two teams operated with very contrasting styles, with Dublin using a mix of long ball and running from midfield, while Cork played the ball through the lines with accuracy and efficiency.
With Maher dropping back from her notional position as wing forward to operate as sweeper, Cork’s Laura Treacy was freed up to hoover up a lot of those long balls, while at the other end, Cork took Maher out of the game with their precise stickwork, setting up good scoring chances.
Ashling Thompson and Aoife Healy were imperious at midfield for the Rebels, controlling the play and giving Amy O’Connor, Saoirse McCarthy and Orlaith Cahalane the platform to register the scores that put Cork 1-10 to 0-02 in front at half-time.
O’Connor was on the mark from frees and from play, McCarthy struck over two majestic points from distance and she also delivered the explosive run that set up Cahalane for the game’s first goal.
Dublin had the wind to come but they needed something to energise their challenge and give them a platform on which to build, and while they got it in the form of a wonderful goal chance for Elyse Jamieson-Murphy just before half-time, once again Lee came to Cork’s rescue to preserve their double figure lead.
Dublin persisted with playing Maher as a sweeper in the second half and so they continued to struggle to make inroads up front after half-time, despite Aisling Gannon working hard to win primary possession while outnumbered in the full-forward line.
Laura Hayes opened the scoring for the Rebels after the interval and when Dublin’s Sinéad Wylde saw her goal attempt crash back into play off the upright, it felt as if Cork’s progression through to their fourth consecutive All-Ireland decider was guaranteed.
A blistering run and unstoppable close range finish from McCarthy to make it 2-11 to 0-03 with ten minutes played in the second half removed any lingering doubt, crushing the brief flicker of optimism that might have stemmed from Grace O’Shea breaking Dublin’s 32-minute scoring drought with an excellent point on the run.
Cork manager Ger Manley was able to flex somewhat by dipping deep into his bench and he got a substantial contribution in the form of 1-04 from play from his replacements, including two points from Clodagh Finn and Sorcha McCartan’s goal with her first possession after coming onto the pitch.
Dublin continued to battle on and they picked off some fine scores through Niamh Gannon, Flanagan and Aisling Gannon, but Cork were comfortable in possession and the chances kept coming.
It fell to Cahalane to round off the scoring with a perfectly placed shot into the bottom right hand corner of the net, adding one final note of emphasis to a devastating display from the O’Duffy Cup holders.
Cork: A Lee; M Murphy, P Mackey, I O’Regan; H Looney (0-01), L Treacy, L Hayes (0-01f); A Thompson, A Healy; C Healy (0-01), F Keating, S McCarthy (1-02); A O’Connor (0-04, 0-03fs), K Mackey, O Cahalane (2-02, 0-01f). Subs: S McCartan (1-00) for K Mackey (41), C O’Sullivan (0-01) for C Healy (0-01) (41), N O’Callaghan for O’Regan (48), O Mullins (0-01) for Keating (51), C Finn (0-02) for O’Connor (51).
Dublin: A Gorman; E O’Byrne, A Ryan, Z Couch; A McKearney, K Finnegan, C Gannon; S Nolan, N Gannon (0-01); S Wylde, E Jamieson-Murphy, A Maher (0-05 (0-04fs); A Gannon (0-01), E Flanagan (0-01), G O’Shea (0-01). Subs: A Kenny for Couch (41), A Heffernan for Nolan (41), G Skelton for Jamieson-Murphy (47), N Comerford for Wylde (56), H O’Dea for Ryan (56).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford)
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