Tony Considine: A great day for the Kingstons when the pressure was on

MY prediction for an All-Ireland back-door final was only half right. I suppose half a loaf is better than no bread.

Limerick were way too powerful for Waterford; a team that had no energy left after about 20 minutes — just what you would expect after four hard games in four weeks.

No real test for Limerick, but will the loss of Peter Casey prove crucial? Getting a straight red for doing one of the most stupid things — what was he thinking?

What a game Cork v Kilkenny was, but before I start on the game, I believe one man must get great praise here.

I asked in my piece last Friday if Shane Kingston was feeling the pressure of being the manager’s son. In my opinion, he was, but his father must have seen that too and decided to drop him for this game, and like most fathers, he knew his son best. 

He took the pressure completely off his son and put it on himself. I don’t know if it was a full management decision, but the buck always stops with the manager.

This decision was correct, and Shane was introduced at the right time. It seems the whole Cork team lifted when he came on. After all, he is a class player and a great sportsman.

I know he has made major contributions to Cork in the past, but I think this was his greatest in the Cork jersey. He scored seven great points, each one a great individual effort.

Another great decision made by Kieran and his management team early on in this game was to leave on three players, Robert Downey, Seamus Harnedy, and Jack O’Connor.

Any one of these players, or maybe all three, could have been taken off in the first half. I don’t think O’Connor or Harnedy got a touch of the ball and Downey was getting the runaround from Billy Ryan, but fair play to the Cork management — they did not panic and these three players went on to play a crucial role in this victory.

Downey grew into the game and had an outstanding second half. Jack O’Connor, when moved to around the middle of the field, began to burn the Kilkenny defenders with his pace, and of course his fantastic goal, you could say was the crucial score for Cork. He beat Eoin Murphy, which was not easy, as Murphy would have stopped marbles the way he was playing, but O’Connor found the shot that beat him.

Harnedy also came into it very much and got a couple of great scores.

GENIUS

The man that Cork can thank for keeping them in the game early on was the Glen Rovers magician Patrick Horgan. He was on fire both from play and from frees — the only wrong Cork were doing was that they were not giving him enough ball — he got some classy points from play, and he had his best outing for Cork so far this year. He is hitting top form at the right time, showing great leadership, and he gave Huw Lawlor a tough time.

Robbie O’Flynn was also causing problems early on, getting a couple of great scores, and running at the Kilkenny defence. Shane Barrett was finding the going tough, as you always would against Kilkenny, but he still got a nice score.

The two boys doing the real donkey work, who must have covered every blade of grass in Croke Park, are not the most stylish hurlers to look at, but Conor Cahalane and Luke Meade have some work-rate and some engines. 

They delivered some great ball, kept causing problems, and were well on top in the middle of the field.

Mark Coleman played a great sweeper role, getting on a lot of ball, and delivered great passes. Sean O’Donoghue had a great game all through — he would mind mice at the crossroads — and Niall O’Leary got a great defender’s point when it was needed. 

Daragh Fitzgibbon did not benefit from the move from midfield to half-forward line. I believe midfield is his best position. It seems to be where he plays best, but he has not hit top form yet. He is still a vital player for Cork when he does hit top form.

Tim O’Mahony is having a great year for Cork, but I’d say Kieran Kingston will be saying to him, the next time you have the ball when we are three points up, and time almost up, drive it out over the stand! Don’t be juggling with it — juggling is for the circus and not in Croke Park with Kilkenny fellas breathing down your neck. 

Still, he will learn from that.

He allowed Kilkenny to get a draw and force extra time, but of course, the result in extra time bailed him out.

To sum up: Cork were the better team and should have won this game in normal time. They need to develop that real killer instinct. You would have to say, the subs won this game for Cork, especially the aforementioned Kingston and Alan Cadogan, who was on fire when he came on. These two completely lifted the whole Cork team when they came on and it changed the game.

It will be a massive few weeks for Cork hurling. They are buzzing already, and really looking forward to the final against Limerick... aren’t we all?