Munster MHC: Cork minors look to build on positives as Limerick loom

Cork will try to put the lessons of last Thursday’s Electric Ireland MHC opener to good use as they gear up for their next outing.

Trailing by eight points in the first half against Tipperary in Thurles, Cork battled back to draw level early in the second period but couldn’t find a lead score and ultimately lost by 1-19 to 2-12.

There’s little time to dwell on the defeat as Limerick visit SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Thursday (7pm). Cork selector Seánie McGrath feels there are positives to take.

“Tipperary are one of the favourites for the All-Ireland title,” he said, “they’re very, very good.

“Euan Murray is a very good centre-forward and Stefan Tobin, even though he picked up an injury, scored five or six super points. We knew all their players inside-out – the centre-back, Owen O’Dwyer from Killenaule, a really good player – but I thought we battled back very well after a really poor start.

“In the ten minutes after half-time, there was only one team in it. We started the half really well, got level, and then they kind of took over again. We battled away as the half was going on but never really tested them to the degree where you were a point down with four or five minutes to go, they always seemed to have that three or four points on us.

“But we’re going to take all the positives out of it. I thought Mark O’Brien and Michael Tadhg [Brosnan] were very good, Luke Murphy on the wing too, Adam Lee got some great scores.

“They all tried extremely hard – I thought [goalkeeper] Josh Goulding did okay, his puckouts were decent and he made a great save – and there are loads of positives. Conor Noonan and Cian Denis O’Connor from Millstreet were excellent in defence.

“There are way more positives than negatives. We’ll get our recovery and look at one or two things that went wrong and then be ready for Limerick at home next Thursday night.”

A change to the Munster format for this year sees the top two sides go to the Munster final while third and fourth advance to preliminary All-Ireland quarter-finals against the beaten Leinster semi-finalists.

It’s not over for Cork by any means but a strong attacking display is needed against Limerick.
“We were an aggregate of 18 points and Tipp were 22,” McGrath said.

“We were targeting that 20-point mark and hoping we could hold them to 17 or 18 but they have so many sharp-shooters. On the night, I thought our defence tried really, really hard and that’s why we were so happy at half-time.

“Against the wind, to do so well and come in at only two points down, we thought we had a right chance. Our second half started so, so well but they have quality all over the field.

“To be fair to them, they were probably that little bit ahead of them and we’ll take all the positives – there were loads of aspects of our play that we were absolutely delighted with and we got to bring on our five subs and give everyone their chance. They acquitted themselves well on a hard night.

“The whole thing goes so fast, you just have to dust yourself down and get ready – no sad faces or feeling sorry for yourself, back to training and prepare well for Limerick.”