Ben O'Connor hails Cork character but concern over injuries to Ciarán Joyce and Rob Downey

Cork hurling manager Ben O’Connor had faith that his team would respond strongly when they fell behind to a 68th-minute goal from Limerick’s Diarmaid Byrnes in Sunday’s Munster SHC clash.

Byrne’s low strike from a free that had been brought closer to goal put the visitors – who were down to 14 men after the dismissal of captain Cian Lynch – ahead y 1-23 to 2-19 but it proved to be their last score and Cork hit back with two Alan Connolly frees and a Darragh Fitzgibbon point.

For O’Connor, Cork’s character shone through when they needed to show it most.

“There was still only a point in it at that stage,” he said, “and I thought the breeze was after actually swinging a small bit, so we were able to get the puckout maybe 10 or 15 yards further down the field.

“But look, you never know – you’re hoping that the boys will dig deep and get the next couple of scores, which they did.

“Maybe us on the sideline might have panicked a small bit, but the boys inside didn't seem to panic at all. We had a lot of fellas there that put their hand up again today when the going got tough.”

In the first half, Cork took a while to get going – Limerick led by 0-9 to 0-2 and 0-10 to 0-3 but Shane Barrett’s goal helped to bring the home side closer and they retired at half-time trailing by just two, 0-16 to 1-11.

“Look, the goal was a huge score for us,” O’Connor said.

“I suppose, going in at half-time only down two points after what-not hurling for the first 15 or 16 minutes – I thought we came well into it then for the second half of the first half, but going in only two points down at half-time, we'd have been happy enough with that.

“But again, you just saw the levels that them fellas are able to go to – that's Limerick, that's Cork, them fellas are putting their bodies on the line out there.

“But again, look, we’re delighted to have two points in the bag. 

If you told us at the start of the championship, after two games we'd have four points, we'd have been thrilled.”

This victory, coupled with the triumph away to Tipperary last Sunday, means that another win from either of the last two matches, away to Waterford on May 9 or at home to Clare on May 24, will almost certainly put Cork into the Munster final.

BIG LOSSES

Full-back Ciarán Joyce could be a doubt for those after a knee injury forced him off in the opening minutes of the game, while Robert Downey was forced off at the death.

“It doesn't look good anyway at the moment, but that's only the boys looking at it themselves,” O’Connor said of Joyce’s situation.

“He'll be scanned, I suppose, tomorrow and Rob as well, he'll be scanned as well tomorrow.

“I suppose we got away with it the last day, we had no injury after Tipp, so we’re after picking up two there. 

Hopefully, they’re maybe knocks but Joycey’s looked a little bit worse than that.

“It wouldn’t be too bad if it was a hamstring. Until he has the scan, he doesn’t know how bad it is.”