Cork v Kilkenny: Christy O'Connor breaks down the stats behind the hurlers' win

PADDY Deegan was trying to work the ball out of the Kilkenny defence, but Patrick Horgan was chasing him from behind and Deegan had to rush his off-load, which meant Eoin Cody just about secured possession ahead of Shane Barrett.

Cody played the ball across to Huw Lawlor, but Horgan hunted him down, which forced Lawlor into slipping and just about getting the ball back to Cody.

Barrett was trying to hustle Cody out of possession while Conor Lehane was coming from behind and Cody had to flick the ball over Mark Coleman. Cillian Buckley picked up the sliotar, but the Cork roadblocks were piling up ahead of him and Buckley had to pass the ball backwards to Cian Kenny, who was immediately swallowed up by a gang of Lehane, Ger Mellerick and Robbie O’Flynn.

Lehane scooped up the sliotar and played a perfectly weighed pass into Alan Connolly, who turned Mikey Butler and evaded Deegan to reduce the margin to just one point. Within 47 seconds, O’Flynn had set up Tim O’Mahony off a Cork puck-out and Cork were level.

With 45 minutes gone on Saturday evening, Cork looked to have finally taken control of an enthralling game. They were still only level. There was still the guts of half an hour to play, but Cork looked to have hit a groove and a rhythm that was going to be hard for Kilkenny to stop.

And then Cork went 12 minutes without a score. That period of the game was almost like an arm-wrestle, which was pockmarked with wides (three each) and two Kilkenny scores. The questions were being asked of Cork again but their response in the last quarter underlined everything that has been good about Cork in this league campaign.

From there on, Cork just charged past Kilkenny, not just on the scoreboard but especially in the possession stakes. And when this Cork team have more possession, there should always only be one winner.

Cork’s grip on that last quarter was illustrated by them winning eight Kilkenny puck-outs in that period. Cork had 10 shots in the same time-frame. It may have taken Darragh Fitzgibbon’s goal to finally break Cork free from Kilkenny’s clutches, but Kilkenny’s ingrained refusal to yield still didn’t really alter the sense of pattern which had been set with nearly half an hour remaining – Cork just looked in control.

Kilkenny were always in the game, but they were consistently struggling to deal with the power and pace of Cork’s running game. As Cork grew stronger, Kilkenny struggled to match that energy and their tank was clearly leaking gas. That was also evident in the comparative benches and the contributions made from the subs introduced.

In their post-match TV interviews afterwards, Kieran Kingston and Darragh Fitzgibbon both mentioned the depth of the Cork panel, of how much competition it was generating and how much that influence had contributed to the win.

Seamus Harnedy won two frees; Conor Cahalane had the assist for Fitzgibbon’s goal; O’Mahony made a significant difference; Jack O’Connor only had a couple of possessions but his searing pace is a huge concern for any defence anytime he is introduced, especially late on when legs are tiring.

Fitzgibbon’s goal may have been Cork’s only green flag, but, similar to last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, Cork always looked capable of opening up the Kilkenny defence and getting goals, especially in the first half when they could have raised three green flags.

Connolly had one, which was called back when the referee had already blown for the free, while Connolly also flashed a ball over the bar from close range. A combination of brilliant goalkeeping from Eoin Murphy and last-ditch defending denied Lehane and Horgan a trilogy of goal chances at another stage of the half.

Connolly had his best game for Cork at senior level; from nine possessions, he scored three points as well as being fouled for a converted free. 

That contribution was even more important considering Horgan and Shane Kingston only had a combined 10 possessions and managed just two points from play. 

Horgan was fouled for two frees but the most satisfying aspect for management is how much his work-rate, especially his tackling from behind, has improved.

Fitzgibbon was excellent but Lehane was Cork’s best player; as well as scoring three points from play, Lehane had a hand in six more scores. Moreover, his free-taking was laser accurate when Horgan went off in the last quarter.

Kieran Kingston also mentioned afterwards how slow Cork were out of the blocks and Kilkenny certainly opened up in a whirlwind. In the first seven minutes, Kilkenny had eight shots at the target to Cork’s one. A lot of that damage was coming off the Cork puck-out, with Kilkenny securing eight Cork restarts in that period, but Kilkenny only won seven Cork puck-outs for the remainder of the game.

All of Cork’s numbers were impressive; they had a 68% conversion rate compared to Kilkenny’s 59%; they protected the ball really well and didn’t turn over possession very often after the first quarter.

There were stages early on when Cork struggled to deal with Kilkenny’s intensity and aggression in the tackle, but they adjusted. It may only be the league, but Saturday’s game had a real championship feel to it. And if Cork can play with that kind of energy, pace, quality and intensity throughout the championship, they will take serious beating.