Limerick v Cork: Rebels beaten by awesome Shannonsiders in final

Limerick 3-32

Cork 1-22

Limerick retained the All-Ireland senior hurling title as Cork found themselves caught by a green and white juggernaut at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.

There was no disputing the superiority of John Kiely’s side, who claimed the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the third time in four years, marking the centenary of the county being the first to lift the trophy when they won the 1921 All-Ireland.

Defeat for Cork means that the previous longest wait for a hurling title, 1903-1919, has now been exceeded, but despite the size of the defeat and the way the championship season has ended, the year as a whole has been a positive one, both for Kieran Kingston’s team and hurling in general in the county.

Few teams past or present could have lived with Limerick in the form they displayed – it could be argued that a side comprising the best of the rest of Ireland would have struggled to put up a sufficient challenge, so tuned-in were the Treatymen. The outcome was all but decided at half-time as Limerick retired with a 3-18 to 1-11 advantage, having ruthlessly punished any kind of Cork error. Their finial tally exceeded that of Kilkenny's in their seminal 2008 performance, they had 13 scorers and all but four points came from play.

The game’s outstanding player, Cian Lynch, had them ahead inside 11 seconds and though Patrick Horgan equalised with a Cork free, two minutes had yet to elapse before Lynch set up Gearóid Hegarty for a goal.

It shouldn’t be forgotten Cork’s response was hugely impressive. Goalkeeper Patrick Collins slowed down to allow the team to reset and then a lovely move was fashioned, with Eoin Cadogan, Mark Coleman and Darragh Fitzgibbon combining to set Shane Kingston free. He drove past Seán Finn and then finished brilliantly past Nickie Quaid to tie the game at 1-1 each.

Parity was fleeting, though, as the Limerick machine kept rolling, with Peter Casey, captain Declan Hannon – the first man since Christy Ring to captain three All-Ireland-winning hurling sides – and Seámus Flanagan putting them into a lead that would never be lost.

While Cork did come back to within a point again, 1-5 to 1-4, after Robbie O’Flynn set up Jack O’Connor, the Limerick response was a from Aaron Gillane, found in space by Séamus Flanagan, who had enjoyed a similar luxury. Cork’s play, so sharp during the campaign to date, lacked the same fluency, with long deliveries not sticking and passing patterns in defence breaking down under Limerick pressure.

It was 2-8 to 1-6 at the water-break and, though Seán O’Donoghue’s good aerial win led to Séamus Harnedy getting the second of his four points on the resumption, Limerick reeled off five consecutive points, with Casey finding his stride – he had five points before being forced off as half-time approached. Indeed, Limerick could have had a couple of goals, with Flanagan and Hegarty both having good chances.

Horgan’s first from play stemmed the flow slightly, making it 2-13 to 1-8, but there was no way of resisting the green tide. They moved ten ahead thanks to points from Diarmaid Byrnes and Hegarty before the latter again profited from Lynch’s build-up play to get his second and Limerick’s third point in injury time.

A 3-18 to 1-11 advantage at the break looked like it would only expand rather than contract and so it proved, though Limerick didn’t need the same urgency as displayed in the opening half. Nevertheless, sub Graeme Mulcahy and Gillane moved them further clear after the restart and only a superb Collins save denied Tom Morrissey a 45th-minute goal.

Four points in a row for Limerick, two by the effervescent Lynch, moved them 3-26 to 1-16 ahead by the 51st minute, but Cork, having emptied the bench, didn’t ever throw in the towel and replied with four of their own, Horgan’s two allied to scores from subs Alan Cadogan and Shane Barrett.

A turnaround was never going to happen, now matter how much Cork pressed, though. Limerick were simply far too good.

Scorers for Limerick: A Gillane 1-6 (0-3f), G Hegarty 2-2, C Lynch 0-6, P Casey 0-5, T Morrissey 0-3, D Byrnes (0-1f), D Hannon 0-2 each, B Nash, D O'Donovan, S Flanagan, G Mulcahy, D Reidy, P Ryan 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 0-12 (0-10f), S Harnedy 0-4, S Kingston 1-0, N O'Leary, M Coleman (0-1f), L Meade, J O'Connor, S Barrett, A Cadogan 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, B Nash; D Byrnes, D Hannon, K Hayes; W O’Donoghue, D O’Donovan; G Hegarty, C Lynch, T Morrissey; A Gillane, S Flanagan, P Casey.

Subs: G Mulcahy for Casey (35, injured), D Reidy for Lynch (42-44, temporary), Reidy for Hegarty (62), C Coughlan for Hannon (65), B Murphy for Mulcahy (68), P Ryan for T Morrissey (69).

CORK: P Collins (Ballinhassig); N O’Leary (Castlelyons), R Downey (Glen Rovers), S O’Donoghue (Inniscarra); E Cadogan (Douglas), M Coleman (Blarney), T O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum); D Fitzgibbon (Charleville), L Meade (Newcestown); C Cahalane (St Finbarr’s), R O’Flynn (Erin’s Own), S Kingston (Douglas); S Harnedy (St Ita’s), P Horgan (Glen Rovers, captain), J O’Connor (Sarsfields).

Subs: D Cahalane (St Finbarr’s) for C Cahalane (half-time), S O’Leary Hayes (Midleton) for O’Leary, A Cadogan (Douglas) for O’Connor, S Barrett (Blarney) for Fitzgibbon (all 47), D Dalton (Fr O’Neills) for O’Flynn (55).

Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary).