Cork 2-7 Mayo 0-12
A dramatic late win for Cork in Pairc Ui Rinn saw Brian Hurley fisting home a Conor Dorman cross to give Cork the narrowest of wins over Mayo in Division 1 of the NFL.
The home side were two points behind when Dorman soloed down the right, and Hurley got in where it hurts to grab the winning goal.
Cork attacked the City End in the first half, facing the wind, and soon withdrew Mark Collins outfield from his full-forward berth, with Donal Vaughan picking him up.
On the other side Mayo began Aidan O’Shea at midfield rather than centre forward, but he and Tom Parsons alternated at centre-forward, while Alan Dillon drifted outfield to create space in front of the Cork goal.
Cork had two points on the board before goaling in the eighth minute - Mayo defender Keith Higgins beat Brian Hurley to a ball in the corner but Hurley recovered to intercept the corner-back’s handpass, made ground, and Mark Collins first-timed his clubmate’s handpass to the net.
Mayo rallied strongly, with Aidan O’Shea and Tom Parsons leading the charge, hitting six points in a row - and three wides - to underline their superiority in the centre of the field and take the lead, Mark Ronaldson’s towering effort on 27 minutes the go-ahead score.
A late Donal Vaughan point was answered by Cork’s Tomas Clancy punching over to end a 27-minute scoring famine for the home side, leaving the score 1-3 to 0-7.
Cork improved on the resumption - though O’Shea hit another Mayo point, Cork hit back with three points in a row, with sub Donncha O’Connor’s free edging Cork ahead on 48 minutes.
O’Connor and fellow sub Paddy Kelly helped the home side retain possession.
Parsons tied it up heading into the third quarter, and with five minutes left McLoughlin broke out to put Mayo one ahead.
Sub Stephen Coen’s point soon afterwards looked the insurance score, but then came Cork’s late surge for victory.
Scorers for Cork: B. Hurley 1-1; M. Collins 1-0; F. Goold 0-2; C. Dorman, T. Clancy, C. O’Neill (f) and D. O’Connor (f) 0-1 each.
Scorers for Mayo: T. Parsons 0-3; J. Doherty (f) and K. McLoughlin (f) 0-2 each; D. Vaughan, A. O’Shea, D. Kirby, M. Ronaldson and S. Coen 0-1 each.
CORK: K. O’Halloran, N. Galvin, M. Shields, J. Loughrey, B. O’Driscoll, C. Dorman, T. Clancy, F. Goold, J. O’Sullivan, K. O’Driscoll, P. Kerrigan, C. O’Driscoll, C. O’Neill, M. Collins, B. Hurley.
Subs: D. O’Connor for Collins (bs 15-17); E. Cadogan for O’Sullivan, 21; P. Kelly for C. O’Driscoll, 43; D. O’Connor for Kerrigan, 46; J. O’Rourke for Collins, 52; D. Goulding for O’Neill, 57; J. Hayes for K. O’Driscoll, 63.
MAYO: D. Clarke, G. Cafferkey, K. Keane, K. Higgins, L. Keegan, C. Boyle, D. Vaughan, B. Moran, A. O'Shea, K. McLoughlin, T. Parsons, J. Doherty, M. Ronaldson, D. Kirby, A. Dillon.
Subs: M. Conroy for Dillon, 46; C. O’Shea for Conroy, 46 (bc); M. Sweeney for Ronaldson, 54; S. Coen for Keane, 56; A. Freeman for Moran, 63; A. Moran for Kirby, 70.
Referee: E. Kinsella (Laois).