Horgan points the way as ring-rusty Cork come through Offaly test

Just six points separated the All-Ireland contenders - Cork - from the freshly crowned Joe McDonagh Cup winners - Offaly - at the beginning of the final quarter and, at that stage, the 18-point handicap slapped on Cork by bookmakers seemed generous.

Not for the first time, veteran talisman Pat Horgan eased Cork's fears with a cleverly taken 56th minute goal, moving them nine points clear at that stage and affording them a vital cushion.

The Glen Rovers man finished with 1-10 while Shane Barrett, 1-4, and fellow goalscorers Brian Hayes and Robbie O'Flynn, contributed handsomely to the preliminary quarter-final win though it wasn't a performance that overly enhanced their All-Ireland credentials.

At one stage late on, Cork led by 15 points but stoppage time Offaly goals from Jack Clancy and the excellent Killian Sampson brought the margin back down to nine by full-time, reflecting Offaly's impressive efforts in front of 16,212.

Their season is over now while Cork will narrow their focus on the big prize though they will surely chase improvement ahead of their crucial Dubs date.

Offaly may have hoped to capitalise on Cork ring-rustiness with four weeks having passed since Pat Ryan's side locked down third position in the Munster table by beating Tipperary.

Offaly, meanwhile, were still exhibiting an afterglow from their breakthrough McDonagh Cup success at Croke Park last weekend, catapulting them back into the Leinster SHC for 2025 having not featured there since 2018.

Hayes suggested with a stunning third minute Cork goal that there weren't going to be any cobwebs for the 2021 All-Ireland finalists to clear away.

The St Finbarr's man burst through the centre of the Offaly defence before cleverly shortening the hurl and batting the sliotar beyond Mark Troy.

Yet Offaly were shortly back on level terms at 0-3 to 1-0 and they gave the home supporters plenty to get excited about in an entertaining first-half.

All-Ireland U-20 winner Dan Bourke nailed two nice points and both Sampson and Eoghan Cahill punished turnovers in the Cork defence with Offaly scores. 

One of those turnovers came from Mark Coleman coughing a ball up with little cover behind and the Blarney man fired three first-half wides too.

But that Hayes goal and another from the excellent Barrett in the 22nd minute still left Cork 2-15 to 0-13 up at the interval.

The eight-point lead flattered Cork though they were certainly the better team, even if goal-king Alan Connolly had been largely tied up by full-back Ciaran Burke.

Back in March, when Cork hammered Offaly in the National League and put 5-28 on the board, Connolly sniped a hat-trick, adding two more since in the league and championship.

Barrett stood up this time as the chief Cork attacking threat initially, finishing the first-half with 1-3.

Horgan, who began the day 23 points behind TJ Reid in the all-time Championship scoring charts, drilled seven first-half points and, perhaps with Reid in mind, tried for a cheeky goal from a 20th minute free that was blocked out for a 65.

Aside from Burke shaping up to Connolly, Offaly detailed Ben Conneely to track Hayes and Cathal King for man-marking duties on Horgan.

The 1998 All-Ireland winners breathed fresh life into the contest seven minutes after the restart when Oisin Kelly pulled first time and netted following Sampson's ball across goals.

That left just five points between them and the margin, a concerning one from Cork's perspective, remained in place entering the final quarter, 2-20 to 1-18.

A turning point arrived at that stage, Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins superbly denying Kelly with a goal and Horgan then exchanging passes with Hayes, and striking to the net at the other end.

Suddenly, Cork had moved 3-21 to 1-18 clear and their large contingent of supporters finally breathed out.

There was still plenty of drama to come though and Offaly closed out their 2024 inter-county season with a smile following those two goals in the 73rd and 74th minutes.

Cork scorers: P Horgan (1-10, 7 frees, 2 65s), S Barrett (1-4), B Hayes (1-1), D Dalton (0-4, 1 free), R O'Flynn (1-0), D Fitzgibbon (0-3), N O'Leary (0-1), C Lehane (0-1), S Kingston (0-1).

Offaly scorers: K Sampson (1-3); E Cahill (4 frees), B Duignan (3 frees)(0-5 each); O Kelly, J Clancy (1-0 each); D Bourke (0-2); D King, C Kiely, C Mitchell, J Sampson (0-1 each).

Cork: P Collins; N O'Leary, E Downey, S O'Donoghue; T O'Mahony, R Downey, M Coleman; C Joyce, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Barrett, C Lehane; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs: S Kingston for Connolly (44); L Meade for Barrett (55); P Power for Lehane (63); J O'Connor for Hayes (64); R O'Flynn for Dalton (67).

Offaly: M Troy; B Conneely, C Burke, C King; D King, C Kiely, D Shirley; J Sampson, R Ravenhill; K Sampson, B Duignan, O Kelly; C Mitchell, E Cahill, D Bourke.

Subs: E Kelly for Cahill (h/t); J Clancy for Ravenhill (47); S Bourke for Kelly (61); D Maher for Kiely (64); L Watkins for D Bourke (70).

Ref: S Stack (Dublin).