Analysis: Rebels laid down a marker in terms of attitude and aggression
Ciaran Joyce drives out with the sliotar against Limerick. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
MAKE no mistake, this was a game Cork had to win.
They're now three from three in the league, having turned over the All-Ireland champions on their own turf and fronted up physically. The approach led to red cards for Shane Kingston and Seamus Flanagan but Cork couldn't afford to give an inch.
The importance of delivering a performance was reflected in the strength of the line-up. The caveat 'it's only the league' didn't apply given the Rebels had suffered four successive defeats to Limerick.
Everyone knows the rematch in April at Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be faster and more furious but a marker has been laid down by Kieran Kingston's side. The last time they beat Limerick in championship they had done the same in the spring.
They hurled with purpose and intensity throughout the opening 35 minutes and were good value for their 2-13 to 0-5 advantage before the red card madness that saw Kingston and Flanagan dismissed. Kingston had to go for his ferocious hit on Sean Finn though Flanagan was a bit unlucky, in that he collided with Niall O'Leary so soon after the first sending off.
The second half was a bit of a mess.
Limerick introduced the big guns, Will O'Donoghue, Diarmaid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane upping the ante especially, but the energy slowly drained out of the game. The atmosphere was flat because there was never a sense Limerick could reel Cork in.
Referee Sean Stack was very fussy with thrown handpasses. No harm given it's a blight on hurling but it didn't help the flow. Both teams used sweepers which meant it was extremely hard to hit the inside lines.
What was odd about Limerick's tactics was they weren't really structured to get goals in the second half, only hitting the net through Cathal O'Neill after a cheap turnover. Mark Coleman was able to sweep around Gillane, Seán O'Donoghue thundered out with the world of ball and Ciarán Joyce was very comfortable throughout in the number seven berth.
Cork's attitude was spot on, even if they got sloppy after the break, firing nine wides to Limerick's two.
That massive first-half lead and Cork's more experienced starting 15 was telling overall.
By the same token, pitching Daire O'Leary, a late call-up in place of Rob Downey, Joyce and Mark Keane, into the Gaelic Grounds was a way of examining their championship credentials. It has been a graveyard for Cork hurling for some time.
Allowing for the experimental team the Treaty put out, Cork were simply more focused. Millerick doubled up as a midfielder and man-marker on Cian Lynch when he dropped off Coleman.
On the wing, Joyce was strong in possession and decent in the air, all the traits he'd shown previously for Cork underage teams and Castlemartyr.
Conor Lehane had 11 on his geansaí but roved between the 45s. His presence congested the centre, slowing down Limerick as they tried to run the sliotar. Cork allowed Limerick have the ball in the full-back line but squeezed them from there.
Lehane also lanced over a couple of classy first-half points and drove through for the second goal, which was finished on the rebound by Kingston. With acres of space around Kingston and Horgan, Cork could afford a few misplaced long balls in during the first half and still engineer goal chances.
While the high press caused Limerick issues on their short puck-outs, the hosts butchered a series of chances through poor shooting and over-elaboration around the D. The half-time wide count was nine-four. Flanagan started brightly on rookie O'Leary before the Watergrasshill club man got a handle on him.
Robbie O'Flynn's pace kept Kyle Hayes honest while Shane Barrett prevented Declan Hannon from quarterbacking at six, sacrificing his own game. Conor Cahalane added drive from the bench, scoring and assisting a point but the negative from a Cork perspective was they managed just 0-6 in that period.
Still, a nine-point win. You can be sure they'd have taken that beforehand.
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