“Cork’s awesome efficiency downs Louth in Drogheda”

Allianz National Football League Division 2 – Round 2
Integral GAA Grounds, Drogheda

Louth 1-12 Cork 1-17

Louth were forced to settle for second best against a lively, powerful Cork side in Round 2 of the Allianz National Football League Division 2 on Sunday afternoon, as a packed Integral GAA Grounds witnessed the visitors make their physicality and efficiency count.

All-Star Sam Mulroy opened the scoring with a well-judged free, but Cork responded immediately and soon settled into their stride. A second Mulroy free kept Louth in touch early on, yet the Rebels edged into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead after ten minutes. Gavin Devlin’s men were left to rue a series of missed chances during this spell, with several scoring opportunities going unconverted.

Conor Grimes halted Cork’s momentum by finishing off a slick team move, and on 18 minutes Mulroy linked superbly with Peter Lynch, coming agonisingly close to a goal as Mulroy’s fierce strike flashed narrowly wide. That near miss proved costly, as Cork broke swiftly upfield and punished Louth at the other end—Chris Óg Jones timing a clever backdoor run before rifling the ball past Tiernan Markey to put Cork 1-6 to 0-3 ahead after 20 minutes.

Craig Lennon and Mulroy replied for Louth during a frustrating period marked by further wides, but Cork closed the half with real authority. Two two-point scores from Brian Hurley and Steven Sherlock drained the energy from the home crowd as the Rebels capitalised ruthlessly.

Half-time: Louth 0-5 Cork 1-10.

Ciarán Downey opened the second-half scoring with a tidy point, though Cork immediately answered through Sherlock. Mulroy was then picked out by half-time substitute Tadhg McDonnell with a clever pass for Louth’s next score, before Seán McDonnell responded for Cork.

Louth enjoyed their strongest spell midway through the half as two Mulroy placed balls, followed by a sensational point from McDonnell, reduced the deficit to five with 20 minutes remaining and briefly reignited hope.

That momentum, however, was short-lived. Cork reasserted control, dominating possession and moving the ball intelligently to limit contact and run down the clock. Steven Sherlock was influential in this phase, registering crucial scores to ensure Louth were never able to mount a sustained comeback.

A late two-pointer from Ciarán Downey, along with a Dermot Campbell point, trimmed the margin back to five by full-time—an important detail as Louth’s scoring difference now stands at a neutral zero.

Full-time: Louth 1-12 Cork 1-17.

Louth now face a two-week break before travelling to Croke Park on Valentine’s Day to take on a Meath side with a perfect record to date.

Congratulations to Tiernan Markey, Padraic Tinnelly and Sean Callaghan on their first League appearances at Senior level for Louth.

Louth Team: Tiernan Markey; Padraic Tinnelly, Dermot Campbell (1-0), Donal McKenny; Peter Lynch, Eoghan Callaghan, Craig Lennon (0-1); Dara McDonnell, Conor Early; Paul Mathews, Sam Mulroy (0-6, 3f & 1’45’), Conor Grimes (0-1); Ciaran Keenan, Ciaran Downey (0-3, 1tp), Ryan Burns.

Subs: Tadhg McDonnell for Eoghan Callaghan (Half Time), Sean Callaghan for Paul Mathews (45 Mins), Daire Nally for Conor Grimes (55 Mins), Conall McCaul for Ciaran Keenan (58 Mins), Sean Reynolds for Conor Early (66 Mins).

Cork Team: Patrick Doyle; Maurice Shanley, Daniel O’Mahony, Tommy Walsh (0-1); Matty Taylor, Brian O’Driscoll, Luke Fahy (0-1); Colm O’Callaghan, Sean Walsh; Paul Walsh, Sean McDonnell (0-2), Chris Og Jones (1-1); Mark Cronin (0-2), Brian Hurley (0-2, 1tp), Steven Sherlock (0-8, 4f, 1tpf, 1’45’).

Subs: Rory Maguire for Matty Taylor (45 Mins), Ian Maguire for Sean Walsh (48 Mins), Ruairi Deane for Paul Walsh (53 Mins), Dara Sheedy for Mark Cronin (58 Mins), Conor Daly for Brian Hurley (67 Mins), Jacob O’Driscoll for Brian O’Driscoll (68 Mins).

Referee: Anthony Nolan (Wicklow)

Photos: Ciaran Culligan Photography