Munster Hurling League: First win for Ben O'Connor as Cork battle back to defeat Clare
Cork's Ethan Twomey battles against Jack O'Neill of Clare in Monday night's Co-op SuperStores Munster Hurling League game in Mallow. Picture: Inpho/Natasha Barton
Ben O’Connor got his first win as Cork hurling manager as a late fightback saw the Rebels overcome Clare in Monday night’s Co-op SuperStores Munster HL clash in Mallow.
Trailing by eight – 0-12 to 0-4 – at one stage in the first half, Cork were back to within five by half-time and slowly ate into the lead in the second half.
It was 0-18 to 0-16 when Clare’s Jack O’Neill sent a great ball to sub Mark Rodgers, whose slow shot drew a great save from Paudie O’Sullivan; then, great defensive work from Brian Keating denied Ryan Taylor a point.
From the puckout the ball was worked to captain Shane Kingston – the Douglas version, with his Ballinora namesake in the full-back line – who fired over. Then, from Jack Cahalane’s delivery, Cork’s Alan Walsh was fouled under the dropping ball by Conor Cleary: penalty, despatched by Cunningham.
A minute remained and Cork had the lead for the first time, 1-17 to 1-18 Rodgers – who ended as Clare’s top scorer, despite being introduced at the three-quarter mark – sent over a free but Walsh responded at the other end.
As Clare chased the draw they needed to reach the final, they forced a 65 and Rodgers converted but they couldn’t find another and instead Limerick topped the group on scoring difference after all three counties finished level on two points. They face Waterford in Saturday’s final.
Two telling statistics from the first half were that it took Cork until the 21st minute to register a score from play, while it wasn’t until the 28th that Clare registered from a dead ball.
The visitors had more experienced heads – and the aid of the breeze – but, even so, the half-back line of Dylan McMahon, Diarmuid Ryan and Aidan Fawl got on top early. McMahon and Ryan had combined for five points by the 23rd minute, whereas Cork’s fifth point only arrived just before half-time.
That score, from Brian O’Sullivan, cut the gap to seven points, 0-12 to 0-5, but it was followed by skipper Kingston setting up Ben Cunningham for a nice effort. The latter sent over a free in injury time, his fifth point of the evening, to leave the deficit a bit more manageable at the break.
Clare had scored an unanswered four points from the start as Cork struggled to make any attacking inroads, with Walsh a notable exception. Twice he almost generated chances, with the best of them requiring a good Ryan hook – play was called back for a free, which Ben Cunningham converted.
Two more, one of them following a foul on Walsh after another foray, but Clare responded to that brief flurry with eight of the next nine points, Jack O’Neill with a beauty and Tony Kelly and Keith Smyth also on target.
The sole Cork score to break that flow was a beauty, though: Brian Keating won a good ball at centrefield and fed Kingston, whose pass was perfect for Desmond to fire over.
While Niall O’Farrell’s free soon after the restart extended Clare’s lead to six points, they would endure 14 scoreless minutes as Cork clawed their way back.
A trio of half-time substitutions had seen Micheál Mullins, Jack Cahalane and Colm McCarthy come on, while Kingston was relocated from the full-forward line to centre-forward.
Those alterations and an increase in work-rate gave Cork more of a foothold around the middle and Kingston’s point, set up by Cahalane, set in train a run of five. Industrious midfielder Brian O’Sullivan was on target and there were three from Cunningham – free, play and a 65 – to leave it 0-13 to 0-12.
The arrival of Rodgers coincided with Clare steadying and a trio of frees from him gave them breathing space again while fellow subs Shane Meehan and Diarmuid Stritch also scored as they held an 0-18 to 0-13 advantage with nine minutes left.
Cork persisted, though. Seán Desmond, Cunningham and Ethan Twomey all had points to bring them to within two. O’Sullivan’s save kept them in it and they pushed on from there.
B Cunningham 1-10 (1-0 penalty, 0-7 f, 0-1 65), B O’Sullivan, Shane Kingston (Douglas), S Desmond 0-2 each, E Twomey, A Walsh 0-1 each.
M Rodgers 0-5 (0-4 f, 0-1 65), D Ryan 0-3 (0-1 f), D McMahon, J O’Neill, N O’Farrell (0-2 f), K Smyth 0-2 each, S Meehan, D Stritch, T Kelly, S Dunford 0-1 each.
P O’Sullivan; D O’Sullivan, D O’Leary, Shane Kingston (Ballinora); T Hanley, E Twomey, C Doolan; B Keating, B O’Sullivan; C Darcy, B Cunningham, J O’Connor; A Walsh, S Desmond, Shane Kingston (Douglas).
M Mullins for Hanley, C McCarthy for O’Connor, J Cahalane for Darcy (all half-time), G Millerick for O’Leary (44), E Roche for Shane Kingston (Ballinora) (49).
E Quilligan; A Hogan, C Cleary, F Ó Braoin; D McMahon, D Ryan, A Fawl; O Cahill, R Taylor; C O’Meara, J O’Neill, N O’Farrell; S Dunford, T Kelly, K Smyth.
D Stritch for O’Meara (half-time), R Hayes for Hogan (40), M Rodgers for Dunford, S Meehan for Smyth (both 46), D Lohan for Kelly (54).
J Murphy (Limerick).
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