John Horgan on hurling: Cork showed character and mental strength when it mattered

The hurling summer has opened its arms for the Cork hurlers and there is now the prospect of it being significantly extended.

Nothing can ever be taken for granted in the inferno that is Munster championship hurling but the clouds that enveloped the county after the All-Ireland final of last July and more recently the league final loss are turning into a much clearer blue sky.

The schedule of games in the province might not have looked too appealing when Tipperary and Limerick were waiting in the long grass in the opening two tests.

One win from those encounters would be looked upon as a satisfactory opening but when it became two from two at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last Sunday where Limerick followed Tipperary into the losers enclosure the roses bloomed all the more.

Sport was, is, and always will be a results-driven business, it's first and foremost and whether the performance is good, bad or indifferent, winning is the be-all and end-all.

Over the past eight years, Cork and Limerick have developed a rivalry that has surpassed all else on the hurling plains, there is never any degree of certainty when their paths cross in the championship arena.

Some of their most recent encounters have been breathtaking, the victory margin for either wafer-thin.

Last Sunday's latest coming together between the two was absorbing, going right to the wire again, this time Limerick seeking a last gasp goal that would have almost certainly have given them the victory as it did for Cork in similar circumstances two years ago when a penalty decided the issue very deep in stoppage time.

Cork held their nerve with their defensive composure in those frenetic circumstances and the victory was theirs which almost certainly secures their place among the three teams that will go forth into the All-Ireland series.

Maybe the fact that it wasn't settled until James Owens blew his whistle for the final time gave the impression that it was another one of those epic encounters that both are so capable of serving up.

Maybe epic is a word too frequently used when both teams are so closely matched and while it was compelling to watch, no shortage of talking points again, it fell short of the word epic in the game's overall description.

But from a Cork perspective who cares, two huge results in the space of just seven days have been achieved against the two teams perceived to be in the top three in the pecking order for the season's big prizes.

Again, it wasn't a perfect performance from the home team, the opening sequences were very patchy, seven points in arrears after 15 minutes and Limerick very much in the ascendancy.

FINE MARGINS

A seven-point deficit is never a huge concern when the game is still in its infancy but if Limerick had secured a goal instead of the one that Shane Barrett superbly delivered for Cork the narrative might have been different.

As turning points in a game go, that Cork goal was worth its weight in gold and it provided a foothold going forward that ultimately made the difference.

Cork's indifferent start was compounded by the early injury to full-back Ciarán Joyce which necessitated his removal from the field.

Losing a player of such influence would upset any team. Thankfully, Cork overcame his loss and by the interval were just two points in arrears.

Limerick lost a player of huge influence too, captain Cian Lynch receiving a straight red card for an off-the-ball incident in the second-half and being a man down at such a critical time in the proceedings can be game-defining.

But with the extra man, Cork did not do enough to hammer home their numerical advantage and Limerick hung in there until the death.

Diarmuid Byrne clung a goal from a free which might have been stopped in the 67th minute and there was subsequently a lot of nervous energy in the home camp. But it was a case of all's well that ends well and the victory was probably deserved in the final analysis.

Winning is all the better when there is still some scope for improvement and the team management would be the first to admit that is very much the case.

The status quo from the win in Thurles prevailed but on this occasion, the two young newcomers, Barry Walsh and William Buckley, found the going more difficult. To be fair, the Barrs player rifled over two important points and young Walsh was denied a goal with a fine save from Nicky Quaid.

Darragh Fitzgibbon had another fine day at the office, ending up with a tally of five points, three from play. That's a good innings any day of the week.

Equally so, Shane Barrett's 1-2 was another positive in the Cork attack and Alan Connolly's return in the scoring stakes was a big plus too, his goal well taken to go alongside the placed balls that he converted which are now, of course, such a huge feature of any game.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Defensively, Rob Downey has become a real leader and the manner with which he marshals those around him provides a lot of confidence. Brother Eoin delivered a trademark point and in a game of such tight margins, every score is hugely significant.

There was plenty of industry from Tommy O'Connell and Timmy Mahony at midfield and Patrick Collins produced a crucial save to deny Peter Casey.

Limerick will bemoan some poor wides over the 70 plus minutes but Cork had a few as well.

At the start of the campaign and the hurdles that had to be negotiated in the first two games, the Cork management would have bitten one's hand off with a 100% record from the 140-plus minutes of play.

There's no arguing with that and it has to be onwards and upwards for the rest of the provincial tests, away in Walsh Park and back in Pairc Ui Chaoimh for the visit of Clare.

Right now, Cork hurling is in a place that you certainly would want to be in and with Waterford securing a wonderful draw with Tipperary, the trip over Youghal bridge is loaded with potential.

Brian Lohan was an interested onlooker last Sunday and no doubt, Ben O'Connor will be at Cusack Park next Sunday.

That game now takes on huge significance, particularly for Limerick in the aftermath of last Sunday.

Right now, with a fortnight before the next assignment, Cork can sit back and take it all in next Sunday.

A lot done up to now, a lot more to do in the coming weeks and months but the fullest of credit to this bunch of Cork hurlers who have produced the goods over the past two Sundays