Cork v Kilkenny: Slow start costs Pat Ryan's charges on home turf
Cork's Seán Twomey chases Darragh Corcoran of Kilkenny. Picture: Inpho/Ken Sutton
CORK remain without a point after two games of their Allianz HL Division 1 Group A campaign after Kilkenny took victory at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night.
A crowd of 16,274 saw the Rebels fall nine points behind in a listless first half before bouncing back to three at half-time thanks to a late surge. At the outset of the second half, Cork fell five behind before mounting another fightback and led for the first time on 59 minutes, 1-15 to 0-17, when Mark Coleman – on for his first Cork appearance since June 2022 – played a good free to Conor Lehane, who slotted over his fourth point.
Unfortunately, it was to prove a solitary experience. Frees from Billy Drennan helped Kilkenny to move back in front before Patrick Horgan levelled with his ninth point.
Sub Walter Walsh might have replied with a Kilkenny goal but, under good pressure from Niall O’Leary, couldn’t get past Patrick Collins but John Donnelly was on hand to put the visitors in front again.
Cork had chances to level in the five additional minutes but unfortunately none of them went over and they are bottom of the table after two rounds.
While Eoin Cody (free) and Adrian Mullen had moved the Cats further in front after half-time, Cork had shown a sign of attacking intent as Robbie O’Flynn – withdrawn to the half-forward line – won a puckout and fed Seán Twomey, who handpassed across for Patrick Horgan to double the ball just wide.
Horgan reduced the arrears with a free and O’Flynn had them back within a goal and, twice in quick succession, searing Shane Kingston runs might have yielded that green flag. With the first, the handpass for sub Ethan Twomey was just short; the second needed Eoin Murphy to save and the ball was cleared.
Still Cork came though, two more Horgan frees making it a one-point game before Conor Lehane intercepted a clearance and levelled. While Tim O’Mahony and Horgan had chances to put Cork in front, they were not availed of and Mullen and Shane Murphy were able to point to give Kilkenny a lead of 0-17 to 0-12 with the clock showing 54 minutes.
Coleman set up fellow Blarney sub Shane Barrett and Horgan’s seventh of the night tied the match again before Coleman was again provider for Lehane. He completed what was a creditable comeback but Cork couldn’t complete the job.
That Cork would be within a score at half-time was not something that looked likely when Cody’s fifth point made it 0-13 to 0-4 in the 26th minute.
Up to then, Cork had struggled to win their own long puckouts and, though they had a good record on Kilkenny’s equivalent efforts, they were suffering with the second ball. The Cats’ half-back line of David Blanchfield, Darragh Corcoran and Shane Murphy excelled as a six-point unanswered burst moved the visitors 0-10 to 0-3 in front by the 20th minute.
In the midst of that, Cork might have fashioned a momentum-changing goal as Patrick Horgan’s nice pass set Luke Meade away but, before he could shoot or pass, Blanchfield made a great challenge.
However, Kilkenny also lacked some efficiency in front of the posts – they had six first-half wides, all of them scoreable, while Cody’s early goal effort was straight at Patrick Collins and Adrian Mullen was deemed to have over-carried when another chance might have materialised.
That came on the half-hour with the lead at eight points but Cork responded well. An excellent catch by Eoin Downey – whose brother Robert had earlier been forced off injured – prevented another Kilkenny attack developing and Meade and the impressive Seán Twomey linked for a long-range Tim O’Mahony score.
Patrick Horgan’s third free brought the gap down to six before Cork’s two midfielders made big plays. First, Tommy O’Connell chased back well to hook Mikey Carey after Mullen’s pass had opened things up for him and a free out resulted.
From that, Collins sent the ball long and Twomey won it, his handpass allowing O’Callaghan to hare through and slot the ball past Eoin Murphy. It gave voice to the crowd and set up a competitive first half but it was Kilkenny who came out on top.
P Horgan 0-9 f, C Lehane 0-4, C O’Callaghan 1-0, T O’Connell, S Barrett, R O’Flynn, T O’Mahony 0-1 each.
E Cody 0-7 (0-5 f), A Mullen 0-5, B Drennan 0-3 (0-2 f), J Donnelly, C Kenny 0-2 each, S Murphy, M Carey 0-1 each.
P Collins; S O’Donoghue, E Roche, E Downey; T O’Mahony, N O’Leary, R Downey; T O’Connell, C O’Callaghan; L Meade, C Lehane, S Twomey; R O’Flynn, P Horgan, S Kingston.
G Millerick for R Downey (21, injured), B Roche for Meade (half-time), E Twomey for O’Callaghan (42), S Barrett for O’Flynn (44, injured), M Coleman for E Downey (49).
E Murphy; T Walsh, H Lawlor, M Butler; D Blanchfield, D Corcoran, S Murphy; C Kenny, M Carey; A Mullen, J Donnelly, C Heary; E Cody, L Hogan, B Ryan.
M Keoghan for Ryan (half-time), B Drennan for Hogan (45), K Blanchfield for Carey (51), W Walsh for Heary (55), P McDonald for Kenny 64).
J Murphy (Limerick).
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