Munster MHC: Cork comfortable winners over Tipperary to finish four from four

Cork 2-17 

Tipperary 1-12 

Cork ensured that they finished out their Electric Ireland Munster MHC round-robin campaign with a 100 percent record as they pushed on in the closing stages against Tipperary on Friday night.

It was a strange game at Páirc Uí Rinn. Cork could have lost by a fortune and still their place at the top of the table, and the Munster final spot that that brought could not be lost; equally, no Tipp win was going to be enough for them to leapfrog Limerick into fourth place and an extension to their championship campaign.

As things panned out, the formlines held largely true, though Tipp were in the game for two thirds of the contest. Trailing by seven at half-time, 1-12 to 0-8, the visitors did have reason to cheer within two minutes of the restart as Tommy O’Meara poked the loose ball to the net following a scramble.

That cut the lead to four points and they held pace with the home side during a lacklustre third quarter and chances to make it a one-score game were wasted before Cork sub Callum Coffey did well to set up Na Piarsaigh clubmate for his eighth of the evening before the second goal arrived.

Cormac Deane was fouled as he shot but, with Tipp goalkeeper Patrick McCormack unable to cleanly claim possession, Coughlan was able to ghost in and force the ball over the line. It got worse for Tipp as Conor Collins received a second booking for the challenge on Deane.

From there, the game petered out, with more interest in updates from the Clare-Waterford game in Dungarvan to determine Cork’s opponents in the final in a fortnight – the Déise prevailed.

While there were three alterations to a Cork side that had been unchanged for the opening three matches, there was no dramatic drop in quality or output. Indeed, one of the newcomers, Sam Ring, struck for a 20th minute goal, batting home a Colm Garde sideline cut.

That gave Cork a 1-9 to 0-5 lead that reflected their supremacy, with Craig O’Sullivan having had six points up to then.

As ever, the Cork half-back line of Michael Tadhg Brosnan, Bobby Carroll and Garde was the platform on which everything was built, with Eoghan O’Shea showing up well at full-forward.

Tipp did reply to the concession of the goal with a Conall Morrisson point before Danny Barry was on the end of a good move but his low shot was well-saved by Tom C Walsh for a 65.

Chris Dunne converted that, but Cork finished the half well as Ruairc Donovan, O’Shea and Seán Coughlan all pointed – the only surprise was that Deane was the only one of the Cork forwards not to have scored up to then as Cork retired with a seven-point lead.

By the end, they were eight to the good, though nobody in the camp will be resting on their laurels ahead of the final.

Scorers for Cork: C O’Sullivan 0-10 (0-4 f), S Ring, S Coughlan 1-1 each, E O’Shea 0-3, C Deane, R Donovan 0-1 each.

Tipperary: C Dunne 0-4 (0-1 f, 0-1 65), T O’Meara 1-0, E Murray, H Lawlor 0-2 each, C Morrisson, S Mackey, P O’Dwyer, J Cahill 0-1 each.

CORK: Tom C Walsh (Aghada); D Heavin (Russell Rovers), T O’Flynn (Sarsfields), C Lawton (Midleton); MT Brosnan (Glen Rovers), B Carroll (Dromina), C Garde (Lisgoold); Tom A Walsh (Carrigtwohill), J Counihan (Watergrasshill); C O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), C Deane (Killeagh), R Donovan (Fermoy); S Coughlan (Passage), E O’Shea (Ballinhassig), S Ring (Carrigtwohill).

Subs: M Quill (Blackrock) for Heavin (27, temporary), C Coffey (Na Piarsaigh) for Tom A Walsh (45), R Dineen for Counihan (53), C Hanratty (Carrigaline) for Deane (55, injured), S Carroll (Midleton) for Donovan (56).

TIPPERARY: P McCormack; C Collins, K Fitzpatrick, F Perry; D Barry, S Mackey, D Hennessy; S Cooney, C Kennedy; C Morrisson, E Murray, T O’Meara; Z O’Keeffe, C Dunne, K Rossiter.

Subs: P O’Dwyer for Cooney (18, injured), H Lawlor for Barry (42), P Hackett for Hennessy (45-46, temporary), J Cahill for O’Keeffe (47), Hackett for O’Meara (55), J McGonigle for Hennessy (56).

Referee: E O'Leary (Clare).