Limerick v Cork: Rebels out as champions prevail
Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins blocks a shot from Aaron Gillane of Limerick during the Munster SHC game at TUS Gaelic Grounds. Picture: Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
CORK'S hurling season has come to an after a one-point defeat to Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Sunday afternoon.
A crowd of 40,847 on the Ennis Road witnessed another cracking Munster SHC encounter but, despite a valiant effort, Cork came up just short against the All-Ireland champions.
Limerick looked to have taken control as they moved into a seven-point lead with 11 minutes of normal time left.
However, Patrick Horgan’s goal – a pulled effort following a break from a Patrick Collins free – gave them hope and they ate into the advantage bit by bit, with Horgan’s frees augmented by scores from Darragh Fitzgibbon and Séamus Harnedy.
As the game moved into injury time, Limerick were able to stay in front thanks to points from Diarmaid Byrnes and Séamus Flanagan. With two in it, Cork sub Conor Lehane flashed a goal attempt into the side-netting before Horgan’s 14th point of the day left a point in it as the allotted four minutes of injury time expired.
There was time for one more passage of play but unfortunately for Cork it didn’t yield an equaliser.
Cork started with the 15 named on Thursday night but Darragh Fitzgibbon operated at midfield alongside Luke Meade as Brian Roche was on the wing with Tim O’Mahony centre-forward and Séamus Harnedy on the other side.
Declan, Patrick Horgan and Séamus Kingston formed a three-man inside line, which helped to push Limerick back but the pay-off was that there was more space for the Shannonsiders to aim their deliveries.
When four consecutive points from the hosts turned a 0-3 to 0-1 deficit into a 0-5 to 0-3 lead, they looked to have found their groove but Cork stood up well to their opponents. There was a let-off on 11 minutes as Patrick Collins saved brilliantly from Aaron Gillane but the Rebels grew in confidence and reeled off six straight points to show that they were not cowed.
Patrick Horgan and Declan Dalton had frees, Fitzgibbon notched two with Luke Meade and the hard-working Harnedy also on target as an 0-11 to 0-7 lead was forged, with Robert Downey making his presence felt too.
Limerick were rattled but, equally, they were always a danger, especially when the right ball could be directed to Aaron Gillane. On 22, he became the first Treatyman to score twice as he cut the deficit to three, 0-12 to 0-9, and then he was the target of Kyle Hayes’s diagonal ball, with a lay-off to Séamus Flanagan allowing him to level with a goal Cork came back well through Horgan and Downey but, as half-time neared, Limerick looked to have moved up a gear. There was a note of warning as Gillane’s kicked goal effort came back off the post and moments later Cathal O’Neill put them in front with another green flag.
All of a sudden, Cork were wobbling and Gillane was on hand to extend the lead to three with frees after Damien Cahalane and Seán O’Donoghue were punished.
There was time, though, for a response before the break. Harnedy got his second and strong Cork running yielded frees for which Mike Casey and Diarmaid Byrnes were booked, with Horgan bringing his tally to eight as a brace of frees left it level, 2-12 to 0-18, as the sides retired.
Limerick were better on the resumption and asserted that on the scoreboard. They had edged 2-15 to 0-20 in front when a dropping ball from Cathal O’Neill towards Gillane forced O’Donoghue into a foul for a penalty. Byrnes came forward and gave Collins no chance with a drilled shot to the top corner and the lead was four.
Cork might have had a goal immediately after as sub Brian Hayes kept a Shane Kingston shot alive but Tim O’Mahony fired the loose ball wide. Even so, they had four of the next five points and Horgan’s tenth, from a puckout won by Dalton, left one in it, 3-16 to 0-24.
An equaliser remained elusive though and Limerick were on top in the middle sector, allowing them to score six in a row, building a 3-22 to 0-24 lead.
Cork made them work for it but ultimately the champions are still standing.
D Byrnes 1-4 (1-0 penalty, 0-1 65), S Flanagan 1-3, A Gillane 0-5 (0-2 f), D O’Donovan (0-1 sideline), G Hegarty 0-3 each, C O’Neill 1-0, T Morrissey 0-2, B Nash, D Hannon, K Hayes, W O’Donoghue, P Casey 0-1 each.
P Horgan 1-14 (0-11 f), S Harnedy, D Fitzgibbon 0-4 each, D Dalton 0-3 (0-2f), S Kingston 0-2, R Downey, L Meade, T O’Mahony 0-1 each.
N Quaid; M Casey, D Morrissey, B Nash; D Byrnes, D Hannon, K Hayes; D O’Donovan, W O’Donoghue; C O’Neills, G Hegarty, T Morrissey; S Flanagan, A Gillane, P Casey.
R English for Hannon (53), D Reidy for O’Neill (57), C Coughlan for Casey (64), G Mulcahy for Casey (66), C Lynch for O’Donovan (67).
P Collins; N O’Leary, S O’Donoghue, D Cahalane; G Millerick, C Joyce, R Downey; L Meade, D Fitzgibbon; B Roche, T O’Mahony, S Harnedy; D Dalton, P Horgan, S Kingston.
B Hayes for Roche (39), C Lehane for O’Mahony (53), P Power for Kingston (57), E Twomey for Meade (59), S Barrett for Dalton (65, injured).
J Owens (Wexford).
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