Lacklustre Louth suffer loss to Cork

Louth senior footballers endured a difficult afternoon at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh as they fell to a dominant Cork side in their Allianz National Football League, Division 2, Round 6 tie this afternoon.

The Rebels were in complete control from the outset, and despite a spirited second-half response from Louth, the damage had already been done due to their slow start.

The Wee County never got going in the first half and found themselves trailing by 11 points at the half time break. 

The home side were led by the impressive Mark Cronin and Brian O'Driscoll who dictated the tempo and capitalised on Louth's sluggish start.

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Louth supporters travelled in their droves and outnumbered the home fans, but it was Cork who gave the home contingent something to cheer about early on.

Brian O'Driscoll opened the scoring with a two-pointer after just two minutes and set the tone for the Rebels. Chris Óg Jones, Rory Maguire, and Ian Maguire added to Cork's tally as Louth struggled to gain a foothold.

Captain, Sam Mulroy, was Louth's main attacking outlet and got his side on the scoreboard in the 13th minute with a two-pointer, but Cork continued to pile on the pressure.

Half time: Cork 0-15 Louth 0-4

Ger Brennan's men showed some fight early in the second half, with Mulroy scoring another two-pointer right after the restart. 

However, Cork responded immediately with a goal from Colm O’Callaghan and extended their lead to 15 points.

Louth enjoyed a purple patch midway through the second half, with Mulroy, Ciaran Downey, and Dylan McKeown chipping away at the deficit.

The substitutes made a positive impact, but it was too little, too late as Cork kept their composure and finished strongly to secure a comfortable 1-23 to 0-18 victory.

A sluggish first half left Louth with too much to do after the break, and while they improved in the second half, the damage had already been done.

A crucial final round clash against Meath in Inniskeen now awaits next Sunday, where a win is needed to ensure Division 2 safety.

Full time: Cork 1-23 Louth 0-18

Cork: Micheal Aodh Martin; Seán Brady, Daniel O'Mahony, Neil Lordan; Brian O'Driscoll (0-4, 2 2pt), Rory Maguire (0-2), Mattie Taylor (0-1); Ian Maguire (0-1), Colm O'Callaghan (1-1); Paul Walsh, Eoghan McSweeney, Seán McDonnell; Mark Cronin (0-8, 2f, 1m, 2 2ptf), Chris Óg Jones (0-3), Brian Hurley (c) (0-1, 1f).

Substitutes: Ruairí Dean on for Seán McDonnell (43’), Cathail O’Mahony (0-2) for Brian Hurley (52’), Conor Calahane for Eoghan McSweeney (57’), Seán Walsh for Ian Maguire (65’), Hugh O’Connor on for Mark Cronin 65’).

Louth: Niall McDonnell; Daire Nally, Dermot Campbell, Donal McKenny; Leonard Gray, Peter Lynch, Conall McKeever; Tommy Durnin, Paul Matthews; Dara McDonnell, Andy McDonnell (0-1), Seán Reynolds (0-1); Tom Jackson, Sam Mulroy (c) 0-11 (4 2pt, 1 2pt f, 0-1 f), Ryan Burns.

Substitutes: Ciaran Downey (0-2, 1 2pt) for Seán Reynolds (HT), Emmet Carolan for Leonard Grey (HT), Dylan McKeown (0-1) for Tom Jackson (42’), Fearghal Malone for Dara McDonnell (45’), Conor Brannigan (0-1) for Ryan Burns (63’).

Referee: Thomas Murphy (Galway).