Special win for Cork hurling but Rebels need to back it up in Thurles

THE celebrations told you everything.

It was only a Munster Championship game but it felt like so much more.

The red hordes erupted onto the pitch, flares smoking, fists pumping. The players were buried in the euphoric mass and supporters were being carried shoulder high.

The outpouring of joy was excessive but completely understandable. 

It echoed Cork's qualifier win over Galway in Thurles back in 2008 when they survived a red card and a Joe Canning masterclass. The season saved.

This time, Cork had gifted Limerick two goals and squandered an eight-point lead to trail by three with time running out. Their campaign looked over but they found a way to win.

Shane Kingston was the super-sub by earning the decisive penalty with an explosive drive but Ger Millerick made a massive contribution in the dying minutes as well with some telling flicks and tackles. Patrick Horgan's penalty exploded into the net and the terrace lifted in unison as the sliotar spun past Nickie Quaid.

With Cork a point up, there was still a danger Limerick would earn a levelling free on the puck-out. Instead, Shane Barrett, a bundle of energy from start to finish, was shoved over and Horgan sent the free into the corner for Brian Hayes to split the posts.

Cork were clinging on by their fingertips but were deserved victors. Two errors on short puck-outs from the otherwise decent Seán O'Donoghue had been punished and despite a better defensive structure and increased work-rate, Cork actually conceded the same huge tally of 3-26 that saw them lose to Clare.

For long spells, the home side outhurled and outfought the All-Ireland champions. Rob Downey at centre-back was so dominant in the first half, Limerick were forced to adapt and move the sliotar around him. Darragh Fitzgibbon covered every blade of grass and sniped 0-5 from play.

Seamus Harnedy and Barrett combined for 2-4 and Hayes showed the blend of aerial prowess and hard running that made him an underage standout. Horgan led the line as well as ever.

Patrick Collins was under as much pressure as any Rebel coming in but the keeper's long deliveries were highly effective. 

It's what made it so strange that Cork gambled short so often. Collins hit some key restarts directly for scores, including all the goals.

Cork left three decent goal chances behind them in the opening period, Quaid denying Alan Connolly and Barrett, and turning a Hayes shot into a point. With the clock winding down, it appeared as if they'd pay the ultimate price.

SUFFERED

For all the talk about going close to beating Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds last summer, Cork have suffered as much as anyone at the hands of the All-Ireland champions in recent seasons. They were obliterated in the 2021 All-Ireland and brushed aside on home turf the following spring. They'd secured a few league victories but none when it mattered since the 2019 Munster Championship or in the Páirc since the '14 provincial final.

That's grim stuff for a proud hurling county but that's the harsh reality of the current era for the Leeside faithful.

Glorious weather, top-of-the-ground heaven for the wristy Rebel stickman, and a huge crowd set the stage for another Munster hurling classic. There were questions coming in, from puck-out issues to general defensive frailties to the lack of the ball-winning up front.

Cork answered some them, by and large, but despite the raucous post-game scenes, there's work do do this week.

Pat Ryan's charge head to Thurles next Sunday knowing they have beat Tipperary. Tipp-Clare and Limerick-Waterford will take place with Cork's group phase concluded. A victory in Semple Stadium should be enough, though it's not a guarantee.

Another Munster hurling classic lies ahead.