John Horgan: My five favourite Cork hurling wins at Semple Stadium

For Cork fans it has often been a home from home. In fact, if you asked Rebel County supporters the chances are that they would choose Thurles as their favourite GAA ground, even ahead of their own headquarters.

But the good times, we’d like to think, outweigh the bad ones and here we are going to reflect briefly on five very good days in the great hurling home.

But what transpired thereafter was nothing short of heroic from a Cork viewpoint.

Two more points followed and Cork ran out winning by four points, 4-15 to 3-14.

Tony O’Sullivan scored six points from play, Johnny Crowley was outstanding at centre-back and John Fenton was a captain fantastic as Cork ran out winning convincingly on a scoreline of 3-16 to 1-12.

This was the day that Cork boss Jimmy Barry-Murphy gave youth its fling, introducing six debutants on to the team after the county had been beaten by Clare the year previous. In came Mickey O’Connell, Donal Óg Cusack, Neil Ronan, Wayne Sherlock, Timmy Mac and Ben O’Connor.

Barry-Murphy took a huge gamble but it paid off handsomely.

Everything he touched turned to gold that July Sunday.
