Cork hurling talking points: Rebels can only take real revenge in championship
Sean Lynne of Clare and Tommy O'Connell of Cork both picked up first-half yellow cards. Picture: INPHO/James Lawlor
Even though Clare were relegated if they were beaten, it was clear from the early exchanges in Ennis that Cork were far more motivated on Sunday afternoon.
The Banner had the edge over Pat Ryan's side three times last season and beat them in championship in 2022 and '23. Plus the likes of Shane Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon were curtailed for long spells in the All-Ireland final.
Cork were set up to create space inside and chase goals, which reaped a handsome reward. Declan Dalton was a ferocious threat closer to the D while Brian Hayes and Patrick Horgan set the tone early by taking on their men.
Barrett ripped it up across the 65 but the work-rate and tackling of Tim O'Mahony, Brian Roche and Ethan Twomey was what the 15-point win was built on. It helped that Twomey and Roche shared five points.
Further back Sean O'Donoghue offered a reminder of his championship experience.
Beating Galway on Saturday week in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh will send Cork into the league final, most likely against Tipp.
Silverware is overdue for this group but Munster and All-Ireland titles are the focus.
It was extremely difficult for Liam Gordon to keep a lid on the latest Cork-Clare clash. Both sets of players were in spiky form, on and off the ball, and he flashed eight yellow cards in the first half alone.
By full-time there were three straight cards, one shy of the tally at Nowlan Park when Tipp defeated Kilkenny.
Peter Duggan fell foul of clampdown on head-high tackles but he was still unlucky to catch Brion Saunderson as he skipped around him. David Fitzgerald and Cormac O'Brien were dismissed in injury time when yellow cards would have been sufficient.
Newtown youngster O'Brien has proved a flinty presence at wing-back and again impressed as a second-half replacement for Tommy O'Connell while Micheál Mullins' tenacity and energy also caught the eye. Cork have a fairly settled team with only a couple of starting places up for grabs but O'Brien and Mullins are putting genuine pressure on Mark Coleman, who has missed the bulk of the league with injuries.
We didn't see Diarmuid Healy in Ennis but he'll certainly challenge for the minutes Shane Kingston and Robbie O'Flynn got in 2024 on the back of his 1-5 in the Kilkenny win.
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