Cork v Limerick 2015 minor clashes produced a host of senior hurling stars

Tue, 01 Aug, 2023 - 20:25

Derek daly

THE defeat of the Cork minor hurlers to Limerick on 2 July 2015 at the Gaelic Grounds was one of the sorest underage defeats by a Rebel side in living memory, but a look back at the form guide eight years later tells us that this Limerick team actually possessed some of the best hurlers of this generation, which might aid in healing some of the scars from that loss.

The final score was 1-14 to 0-14 to Limerick, but that only tells a fraction of the story.

Prior to the all-conquering minor side of 2021 that finally broke the 18-year famine of no minor titles on Leeside, there had been a number of teams that had been hyped up as the sides that were going to make the breakthrough, and the 2015 vintage was amongst them.

They certainly looked the part when dispatching Limerick in the quarter-final at Páirc Uí Rinn by 2-20 to 1-13, with Shane Kingston scoring a blistering 1-9.

Due to the strange structure of the minor championship at the time Cork’s semi-final opponents ending up being Limerick again. Limerick had a back door to re-jig their efforts, but there was no such safety net at the semi-final stage.

And before that game was played Kingston unfortunately broke his leg in a challenge match against Clare, meaning Cork now had to go into the Lion’s Den that was the Gaelic Grounds without their main scoring threat.

And it didn’t stop there.

Cork struck 17 wides that evening, with ten of them coming in a first half that they dominated, as expectation weighed heavily on the young Rebels.

Limerick only had four in the entire game, as their more economical shooting proved the difference.

Cork created a number of goal scoring opportunities as well, with Declan Dalton’s penalty, which was saved by Limerick goalkeeper Eoghan McNamara, being the pick of them.

None of these were taken. For Cork, it was real tear your hair out stuff.

As well as Kingston being absent, they were also missing Castlelyons Niall O’Leary, who had played in the original win over Limerick.

Cork did bring in current Cork footballer Sean Powter for the semi-final, at corner forward, as well as Sarsfields’ Liam Healy, but Kingston was the leader of the attack at the time, and his absence was sorely felt. Future professional soccer player Conor McCarthy was also called up.

Ultimately, a late goal from this year’s All-Ireland Hurling final Man of the Match Peter Casey proved the difference, with Cork not able to pull it out of the fire late on.

That Limerick team would go on to lose the Munster final to Tipperary by three points before bowing out to eventual champions Galway by four in the quarter-final, which would have increased the sense of lost opportunity at the time.

Brian Ryan, Limerick, in action against Eoghan Murphy, Cork, in 2015.

When you consider that this Limerick forward line contained players of the calibre of Kyle Hayes, Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey and Barry Murphy, who all now possess bags full of All-Ireland, Munster and National Hurling League medals, then the defeat does not look like the thrown away game it did at the time.

There were names likes Houlihan, Grimes and Mackey on that team too. Limerick hurling royalty. This Limerick side was a decent team in hindsight.

Six players who lined out with Cork in those two minor games played in the Munster Championship at senior level this year, Declan Dalton, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Tim O’Mahony, Robbie O’Flynn, Niall O’Leary and Shane Kingston, while Mark Coleman would have made that seven only for injury.

Ultimately that minor team did not achieve what it hoped to at the beginning of 2015, but Cork hurling has done well out of it in terms of developing players for senior duty.