Cork v Waterford: MSHC: Worrying trend emerging as Cork hurlers keep losing championship games

THERE was a feeling in the build up to Cork’s Munster Championship opener against Waterford that Pat Ryan’s side would have to win this tie if they were to emerge from the province this year, hence why Sunday’s three point defeat will have hurt so much.

That is four championship games in a row now that Cork have failed to win, with their last victory being the opening round win over Waterford on home soil last year.

This opener away to Waterford always had banana skin written all over it, and the big surprise surely is how surprised Cork seemed to be regarding the energy levels that the home side brought to proceedings early on.

Cork seemed rattled by Jamie Barron’s early goal, with them going a full ten minutes between two Patrick Horgan pointed frees in the first and 11th minutes without scoring. 

Waterford scored 1-4 between these two Cork points which was extremely damaging. Cork did seem to settle with two fine points from Darragh Fitzgibbon and Alan Connolly in the 12th minute, only for Waterford to rifle over the next four points to re-establish their dominance.

Very few of the Cork players will have been overly pleased with their performances on the bus home. 

Darragh Fitzgibbon and Shane Barrett took to the game to Davy Fitzgerald’s side, scoring four and three points, respectively, and Alan Connolly inside was always a threat, as demonstrated by his 1-2 from play, but he was largely starved of possession.

Everything looked rosy at the start of the second half with Mark Coleman scoring a point almost directly from the throw in, with his Blarney teammate Barrett, and Fitzgibbon, again, notching two straight away to bring Cork back within one point of their hosts.

Cork got level by the 43rd minute, through another Horgan free, but frustratingly Pat Ryan’s side shipped two points within a minute, and when Dessie Hutchinson sliced over a free soon after the lead was back out to three, which effectively meant that Cork never really got on terms.

At that point Cork were probably favourites, but the black card to Ciaran Joyce, the controversial penalty award and the harsh red to Damien Cahalane ensured that all the late momentum went Waterford’s way.

Brilliant hooks by Tommy O’Connell and Ger Millerick in the opening minutes of the second half seemed to indicate that Cork had belatedly brought the right attitude to the game, but Waterford were able to kick again.

Jamie Barron scored 1-3 and Cork just could not get to grips with the Waterford midfielder all day, and he was easily the best player on the Walsh Park pitch on Sunday.

While the switching of Mark Coleman to midfield at the start of the second half certainly helped to give Cork impetus, this also meant that Tommy O’Connell had to be redeployed to wing back, and Waterford targeted his wing in the air, with considerable success. 

Considering that the Midleton man struggled in the position in the defeat to Clare in last year’s championship, this has to be viewed as a major black mark for the Cork management. At this level you cannot be making the same mistakes repeatedly.

Cork were two points down when Joyce was issued with a black card and Waterford were awarded a penalty, which Stephen Bennett struck to the back of the net, and even though Cork responded well with fine scores from Seamus Harnedy and Millerick, Cork got another huge blow when Damian Cahalane got his marching orders in the 61st minute for committing a second bookable offence.

For a game that was not particularly physical the referee seemed overly eager to issue cards, and to Cork players in particular. Ultimately the penalty call decided the outcome of this game. 

Some huge calls went against Cork in the Limerick game last year, and Cork will feel that they did not get the rub of the green in Walsh Park either.

Waterford scored points in the 67th, 68th, 69th and 70th minutes, with each raised white flag feeling like a dagger in Cork hearts, as they ensured that Alan Connolly’s brilliant late goal was effectively cancelled out, and ultimately Cork ran out of road, with their 2024 championship hopes now very much on the brink, with the game against Clare in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh already looking last chance saloon.

Ryan stayed loyal to some of the older, more experienced members of the panel for the season’s opener. 

You sense, however, that changes will be required for next week’s clash if Cork are to save their season.