Corcoran goal sees Rebels through
Cork 1-18 Waterford 1-13
A 63rd-minute goal from former Hurler of the year Brian Corcoran helped All-Ireland champions Cork come from four points down to nick a high-quality SHC quarter-final from Waterford at Croke Park this evening.
The perennial Munster rivals, clashing for the third time in two years in the championship, played out a pulsating tie that went undecided until Corcoran's drop-puck goal gave Cork the confidence to go on and strike a final clinching trio of points.
In front of a crowd of 55,000, the Rebels were made to work hard for their semi-final slot after big Dan Shanahan netted from a rebounded Paul Flynn free on 17 minutes.
Shanahan, Flynn, whose right knee was heavily strapped, and Seamus Prendergast, who knocked over four excellent points from play, all played their part as the Deise went four points up at the midpoint of the first half, but crucially, with the wind, they failed to bridge a bigger lead and Cork trailed by just a point at the break.
The Rebels' 40th win over Waterford in 53 championship meetings looked a long way off when Shanahan hit the deciding blow of a nip-and-tuck first half.
Classy Corcoran turned and flashed over a 40-yard effort to open the scoring, but scores from Flynn, who switched into full-forward, and Tony Browne had matters level at 0-3 apiece on 16 minutes.
Seconds later, a 20-metre free from Flynn was deflected out by the Cork defence, but the lurking Shanahan was first to pounce on the loose ball and his ground stroke rocketed past Donal Og Cusack in the Cork goal. A 29th-minute Flynn free then had the Deise 1-6 to 0-5 in front.
Justin McCarthy's side were far from comfortable nonetheless, and Cork, almost unnoticed, fired over the four of the closing five points of the half, from Joe Deane (0-2, 2f), Jerry O'Connor and Tom Kenny, for a 0-9 to 1-7 half-time deficit.
Allen's charges, now backed by the breeze, looked set to spring from the traps but Waterford really questioned Cork's hunger with a dogged display.
Ben O'Connor's second point squared things up three minutes after the restart, yet the Deise kept in the hunt and went score for score until the 50th-minute when Flynn managed to give them a little breathing space at 1-11 to 0-12.
The sides had been level four times before a misfiring John Mullane, who waited 47 minutes to open his scoring account, and Flynn gave Waterford a two-point lead.
Cork stepped up a gear thereafter, and had their opponents visibly rocked when Ben O'Connor's 55th-minute free was quickly added to by captain Sean Og O hAilpin's first ever championship point.
John Gardiner's third pointed free followed and although the unflappable Prendergast levelled again on the hour mark, Corcoran's goal - the fifth of his championship career - was the score that broke Waterford's resolve.
A high delivery from Jerry O'Connor was tracked by Corcoran and he managed to turn the Deise defence and delay his shot sufficiently to strike low into the bottom right corner of Clinton Hennessy's net.
Substitute Neil Ronan, Sarsfields' Kieran Murphy and Ben O'Connor, drilling over his fourth point from a '65, pushed Cork 1-18 to 1-12 clear. Ken McGrath's late free mattered little at the death.
