February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Both teams appeared sluggish in the opening half, although Mayo were always the sharper unit. In a bit of a reshuffle, Charlie Harrison lined out at fullback rather than midfield, where the speedy Sligo man made his presence felt in recent weeks.
Mayo manager Gary Rocks may have been seeking to neutralize Cork’s full forward, Tadgh Foley, with the move. If so, it worked. After some good early battles, Cork shifted Foley outfield, although Mayo were too strong all over the pitch for Cork.
The Rebels badly missed midfielders Pat Mahoney and Mark Kelleher, who were both in Ireland. Mayo were missing a couple of players as well, but their superior depth saw them scarcely miss a beat.
In an 0-8 to 0-3 first half, Mayo were sparked by Harrison, center back Dermot Costello and a balanced attack that divided their 0-8 among five scorers.
After an early exchange of points between Karl Oaks of Mayo and Tadgh Foley of Cork, Mayo finally began to fire on all cylinders. And when the Westerners got rolling they can overwhelm any opponent.
Their play of the match came when Ronan Garvey sent Tony McTigue through for the first goal of the match, staking Mayo to a 1-10 to 0-4 lead.
McTigue took his chance well, but Garvey’s pass was the story. From 35 or so yards, Garvey hit McTigue in stride like an NFL quarterback. Mayo’s dangerous forward line left the Cork defense in tatters, getting top performances from Robert Mason, Tomas Griffin, and Garvey as they steamrolled their way into a final showdown against Offaly.
Man of the Match: Charlie Harrison
Mayo: Ciaran Naughton, Brian Montgomery, Charlie Harrison, Emmet Cooney, Eamon McEvoy, Dermot Costello, Louis Breslin, Dave Colleran, Keith McMahon (0-1), Karl Oaks (0-1), Robert Moran (0-7, 4 frees), Ronan Garvey (0-1), Tony McTigue (1-2), Paddy Reddington, Tomas Griffin (1-3). Sub: Niall McMahon.
Cork: Brian McGonigle, Tim O’Sullivan, C.J. Doherty, Enda Lally, John Santry, Paddy Harrington, Con Breen, Liam Hanley, Diarmuid Shanahan, Brendan Wiley, Tom Moylan, Sean Healy (0-1), Stephen O’Shea (0-1), Tadgh Foley (0-6, 4 frees), Paul O’Connor. Sub: Brian Crowley (0-2).