Cork v Galway: Good performance in Salthill would be another step in right direction
Ciarán Joyce of Cork is tackled by David Reidy of Limerick. Picture: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
IN the first half of last Saturday night’s Allianz Hurling League game between Cork and Limerick at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the visitors’ goalkeeper David McCarthy prepared to take a puckout.
With Barry Hennessy having retired from inter-county action, McCarthy is now the second-choice netminder for the Shannonsiders but of course he’s not yet at the level of Nickie Quaid in the puckout stakes.
To make life a bit easier for him, half-forwards Gearóid Hegarty and David Reidy concocted a plan.
The pair stood side by side, facing their Cork markers, Damien Cahalane and Ciarán Joyce respectively before Hegarty gave Reidy a subtle tap on the backside with his hurley.
Reidy shot off towards the wing, ready to receive the ball from McCarthy – while Joyce looked to follow, Hegarty bear-hugged him to buy a second or two.
It was of course completely illegal but these are things you can generally get away with on the pitch.
While it showed Cork that you have to always be ready for a moment of gamesmanship, at the same time it was a backhanded compliment to Joyce that Limerick felt he was someone who needed to be curbed.
While he is still only 20, Joyce is already one of the marquee men for Cork and that status will only increase as time goes on, especially under the tutelage of the man in charge for the two All-Ireland U20 victories where the Castlemartyr player was centre-back.
That Cork won after being eight points behind against such a strong opponent was pleasing for all concerned – that they did so by keeping a clean sheet and limiting Limerick to just six points in the second half must have been very encouraging for the team and management, especially as captain Seán O’Donoghue was forced off before half-time.
The nature of the comeback in the second half brought a good deal of noise from the home contingent in the crowd of 19,516 – obviously, one win over Limerick doesn’t amount to much more than a hill of beans if bigger victories don’t follow down the line, but it certainly won’t have done any harm.
The league is of course strange in that face value isn’t a reliable guide and it’s not until championship outcomes are factored in that we have a proper idea of what was good or bad during the spring.
As it’s going on, though, the league is the only GAA show in town and that means that reaction to results is amplified.
For proof of that, witness the fallout to Cork footballers’ opening defeat at home to Meath – nobody was predicting an away win against Kildare at the weekend.
For the hurlers, the next assignment is Galway away and the Tribesmen got off to a great start in that they picked up an away win against Wexford, who had topped Group A last year.
Much like the Six Nations Championship, a victory on the road feels like it has extra significance as there is a general expectation that teams will do well at home.
There were times in the first half on Saturday night where it was clear which team had won four All-Irelands in five years and which was bedding in a new management and new approach; but, equally, in the second half there was a lot to take from the way Cork tried to keep doing as many right things as possible, ultimately earning their victory.
Next weekend, there will be a bit of extra symbolism attached to that quest as it comes against the team who eliminated Cork from the championship last year.
In the first half last Saturday, the wides count was worryingly similar to Thurles last June but thankfully it was an area that was much improved in the second half.
As with Limerick, winning in Salthill won’t necessarily dictate the rest of the year but it – or at least a strong performance – would represent another step in the right direction.
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