What Cork hurlers learned from Limerick's win over Waterford at Walsh Park

After their draw with Tipp in the opening group game, Limerick got back on track at Walsh Park.

It finished 0-28 to 0-22 to the favourites, Waterford unable to follow up their shock victory over Clare with a six-day turnaround.

Limerick now have next weekend off before hosting Cork on May 18 in their third match in the province. The winner wil be all but certain to progress to the Munster final though both counties are well placed, the Treaty at home to Clare and Cork to Waterford on May 25.

But what did we learn from a Cork perspective on Saturday?

New Blood:

Shane O'Brien and Adam English were terrific.

English operated as a link-man at midfield using his blistering pace and massive engine but he also sniped over a series of lovely scores. He was a breakout in the league for Limerick and showed here why he was integral to Doon's county title last year.

O'Brien has replaced Seamus Flanagan as the powerhouse foil to Aaron Gillane up top and they offered an intoxicating blend of steel and silk.

With David Reidy moving out towards midfield and Gearóid Hegarty almost an auxiliary wing-back, it left enough space for Gillane and O'Brien even with De Búrca sweeping. Cork will put Seán O'Donoghue and Eoin Downey on them in two weeks and they'll have their hands full on Saturday's evidence.

Ruthlessness:

In the opening 20 minutes, the Treaty hunted goals, eschewing tap-over points to try and engineer a green flag. They also should have hit the net when Shane O'Brien's cracking shot bounced back off the post. 

In the end, they were content to pick off points but the early intent was clear.

Limerick were aggressive in every line of the pitch but that ferocity did result in an early yellow card for Diarmaid Byrnes, who committed another foul soon after. Rather than risk a red card, John Kiely and his selectors replaced Byrnes with Colin Coughlan. Some option to have in reserve.

Hunger is a great sauce:

Gearóid Hegarty has five All-Ireland medals, four All-Stars and was Hurler of the Year in 2020. 

Yet when he rifled over his first point in the 55th minute, he turned to fist-pump the crowd like he was a rookie trying to make his mark.

It was a bit of relief because he didn't catch fire like he often does but it showed how driven the veterans are. Limerick are aiming to make it seven in a row in Munster and, more importantly, regain the Liam MacCarthy from Clare. 

They'll be wired to the moon in the Gaelic Grounds on May 18.

Cian Lynch's energy:

Selected at midfield against Tipp, where he hurled with distinction many times over his brilliant career, Lynch was back as a roving 11 in Walsh Park. That's always been the position he's done the most damage in, as a scorer and a playmaker.

As expected Tadhg De Búrca sat off to protect the D and while he collected plenty of possession, Lynch wasn't tagged well enough by the rest of Waterford's middle eight.

Last summer at Croke Park, Lynch was in midfield where Tim O'Mahony was redeployed to man-mark him. That switch was pivotal to Cork's upset win but he poses a very different problem if he's drifting off Robert Downey.

Waterford threat:

Even with Limerick pulling bodies out the field and turning the middle third into a warzone, the Déise had some sloppy wides, threatened to cut through for goals a couple of times and had a few half-chances. 

Cork have a far better forward unit than Waterford though, who leaned too much on Stephen Bennett. Still, Limerick sniped 0-3 from play through wing-backs Byrnes and Barry Nash, while Kyle Hayes and Dan Morrissey didn't put a foot wrong at the heart of the rearguard.

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett 0-9 (0-6 f, 0-2 65), B Nolan (f), M Fitzgerald, J Barron 0-2 each, P Fitzgerald, J Prendergast, D Hutchinson, K Mahony, M Kiely, Shane Bennett, G Fives 0-1 each.

Limerick: A Gillane 0-9 (0-6 f), S O’Brien 0-4, T Morrissey, A English, C Lynch 0-3 each, B Nash 0-2, D Byrnes, G Hegarty, A O’Connor, C O’Neill 0-1 each.