The huge positive for Cork was that after a wild second half they survived the scrap

And searching through the detritus of Sunday’s crash, Cork still showed enough mental resolve to avoid it being a total wreckage. In some ways, it was a decent salvation operation because when the ship hit the rocks, Cork made sure that it didn’t go down.

The fact that there were only four scoreable frees awarded in that half underlined the type of game it was, and how much it suited Cork. With Cork’s pace, of feet and hand, Tipp couldn’t engage them in the tight. And Cork racked them on the scoreboard.

The half-time lead was nine points. It could, and should, have been 14.
After winning 17 of 27 balls played into their attack in the first half, Cork won just eight out of 18 after the break. Cork created just 16 scoring chances in the second half, the exact same number which Tipp managed in the first half.

Cork had some devastating contributions, especially in the first half. From just five plays in the opening 10 minutes, Seamus Harnedy scored three points, set up another and was fouled for a converted free. From nine first-half plays, Shane Kingston scored 1-3.
