Kieran Kingston: Elementry mistakes and missed chances were very costly

CORK manager Kieran Kingston admitted that the concession of a pair of goals just before half-time were the difference at Thurles on Saturday evening as Cork lost to Limerick in the Munster SHC semi-final.

While the scoreboard at the end portrayed an eight-point game – Limerick winners by 2-22 to 1-17 – that margin was bolstered by the All-Ireland champions scoring the final four points in injury time after Cork had stuck with them in the second half, albeit without coming to within a score.

Having led for a lot of the first half, Cork found themselves 2-10 to 1-7 behind at half-time after injury-time goals for Limerick by Darragh O’Donovan and Kyle Hayes shot them into a led that wouldn’t be relinquished. Kingston accepted that it was the turning of the game.

They were sucker-punches, really.

“We have to see the back there again to see what we did wrong or hat did they do right or was it a refereeing error or whatever – I don’t know what it was because I haven’t seen them – but they were sucker-punches before half time.

“I thought we regrouped well but if you give that kind of momentum to a team like Limerick you are always going to up against it but I thought our guys reacted well and got it back to four points but then we had some elementary mistakes, missed chances that could have got it even tighter.

“The lads we brought in made a big difference. I thought we were going well coming down the stretch but just couldn’t put it over the bar.”

Prior to Limerick’s two-goal salvo, Cork had failed to take advantage of an opportunity to move five points ahead with a numerical advantage. Leading by 1-5 to 0-6, the Rebels were awarded a penalty when Peter Casey fouled Conor Cahalane, with the Limerick man black-carded.

However, Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid saved Patrick Horgan’s penalty and a Cian Lynch-inspired Treatymen outscored Cork by 0-4 to 0-2 in the period where it was 15 against 14. Kingston wasn’t dwelling on that part of the game, though.

“That is 10 minutes of the game that we lost 0-4 to 0-2 but I don’t think that was a deciding factor,” he said.

You could pick different 10-minute periods that we lost but just because that one was the sin bin maybe it will get more scrutiny but I think at that point Limerick upped their game.

“I think we dominated to the first water break. We kept them to a minimum of frees but then they played really well in the second quarter and they came out fighting in the second half – I thought we matched them in the main but as I said you can’t play a team like Limerick and have that kind of a conversion rate.”

Now, the focus turns to the All-Ireland qualifiers and trying to pick the team up.

“Of course, it won’t be easy,” said Kingston, “especially over the next few days but that is the game we are in and that is why you play hurling and that is why we are involved in management.

“That is the challenge – you have got to review it, take the pain, take what goes with it and get back on the horse again Tuesday night and focus on the next day – that is the game we are in.”