Cork minor cruise through to final over Mayo

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Conor Corbett of Cork in action against Owen McHale of Mayo during the Electric Ireland GAA Football All-Ireland Minor Championship Semi-Final match between Cork and Mayo at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

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[team1]Cork[/team1][score1]4-12[/score1]

[team2]Mayo[/team2][score2]1-13[/score2]

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Captain Conor Corbett led the destruction of Mayo with 2-3 at Croke Park as Cork cruised through to the Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football final.

The eight-point winning margin perhaps flattered the young Rebels who led the Connacht champions by just two points at the three quarter stage before slamming home three goals.

Daniel Linehan got the first of those in the 46th minute and Corbett sealed the deal with two more in the 50th and 65th minutes as Cork qualified for a first final since 2010.

Yet while Mayo were competitive throughout, Cork were full value for the win with Man of the Match Patrick Campbell netting after seven minutes and putting the beaten Munster finalists into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

They will return to Croke Park on September 1 for the final and with Kerry set to play Galway in the second semi-final tomorrow, it could be an all-Munster decider and a repeat of the provincial final.

Cork will hope to have Campbell available for that game because while he struck 1-2 and gave a strong display for 50 minutes, he left the field clutching his back with what management later described as a ‘back spasm’.

Cork’s qualification for the final also means that there’s the possibility of a dream double of minor and U-20 title wins for the county in the same season.

Cork dominated Mayo’s kick-outs in the first 20 minutes or so to run up a 1-7 to 0-4 lead with Campbell’s goal coming directly from a short Mayo kick-out that was turned over.

Three Mayo points in a row to close out the half, two of those from the excellent Paddy Heneghan, left them just 1-7 to 0-7 behind at the break.

Mayo, who beat Dublin in the quarter-finals with a five-goal blast, got the gap down to just two points on a couple of occasions in the third quarter.

But Linehan’s goal was decisive for Cork, the defender claiming the ball on the 45-metre line and racing clear before blasting to the roof of the net.

Corbett struck Cork’s third with 10 minutes to go and added a fourth deep into stoppage time when he beat Mayo goalkeeper Luke Jennings at the second attempt following an initial blocked shot.

There was some consolation at the death for Mayo who fired a stunning goal through sub Niall Feeney when he blasted to the top corner from the left of goals at the Hill 16 End.

Cork scorers: C Corbett (2-3); P Campbell (1-2); D Linehan (1-0); M O’Neill (1 free), H Murphy, R O’Donovan (0-2 each); J Cahalane 0-1.

Mayo scorers: P Heneghan (0-4); N Feeney (1-0); E Henry (0-3, 3 frees); F Irwin (0-2); C Mylett (1 free), J Grady (1 free), O McHale, S Dempsey (0-1 each).

Cork:

C O’Leary; J O’Shea, D Peet, N Lordan; K Scannell, D Linehan, D Cashman; J Lawton, E Nash; H Murphy, P Campbell, A Walsh Murphy; M O’Neill, C Corbett, J Cahalane.

Subs: S Andrews for O’Shea 41, R O’Donovan for O’Neill 41, K O’Drisocll for Campbell 50, L Murphy for Walsh Murphy 55, A Aherne for H Murphy 58, A O’Hare for Cahalane 61.

Mayo:

L Jennings; O Tunney, O McHale, A Morrison; S Dempsey, R Keane, E Gilraine; E Henry, M Tighe; A Cosgrove, P Heneghan, D Thornton; C Mylett, F Irwin, P Walsh.

Subs: R Morrin for Mylett 36, J Grady for Dempsey 45, R Walsh for Cosgrove 51, R Hughes for Tunny 57, C Boland for Gilraine 61, N Feeney for Walsh 61.

Ref: N Cullen (Fermanagh).

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