Latest news with #CorkHurling
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Nicky English: Weary-looking Limerick's errors allowed Cork confidence to flourish
The key phase in Saturday's scrappy but thrilling Munster final was the 10 minutes before half-time when Cork recovered from a one-point deficit to outscore Limerick by 1-5 to 0-3. This gave Cork all the belief they needed; they had taken the champions' best shots and were still afloat. That 1-14 to 1-10 lead gave them something to work with and reflected a change in fortunes. It was always possible that Limerick's comprehensive victory in the clash between the sides three weeks ago might take the edge off John Kiely's team and drive Cork on, but the Rebels couldn't go into the game expecting that to be the case. Limerick settled themselves swiftly. In the first 20 minutes, Cian Lynch and Kyle Hayes were hitting the levels of the round-robin match. But Darragh Fitzgibbon began to impose his game at midfield and Shane Barrett ended the half with 1-3 from play. Cork now had something to work with . READ MORE It was uncharacteristic stuff from Limerick, or at least stuff we're not used to seeing. Their established KPI (key performance indicator) – the 30-point mark – wasn't reached, but that has been a feature of their season. Only in the first match against Cork did they achieve that tally. At the weekend, they again fell short. There always appeared to be something holding them back. I made a note in the 50th minute that Limerick were in control after the second goal by Shane O'Brien, but they went on to shoot some terrible wides. Instead of stretching away, they let Cork stay in it. Damien Cahalane was an example of Cork's resilience. He hasn't been first-choice for a while, but he battled away and even got up the pitch for a score. He'd have been in trouble if Aaron Gillane's free at the end of extra-time won it for Limerick, but overall it was a brave performance. Nothing highlighted Limerick's problems more than the usually ultra-reliable Nickie Quaid fumbling a ball over the endline for the equalising 65. That and the six wides in extra-time killed them. Kilkenny will likely face Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final, which will be a serious test of their mettle It all ended with a succession of very ordinary penalties that I had to watch back on video because my train was due to leave before they were finished. This just underlined how crazy the scheduling is. You could have filled Croke Park for the replay, so it represents a serious loss of income for the Munster Council. There has to be a structure that allows matches like this to be played out and not have spectators running from venues into the dusk to catch trains. Kilkenny's TJ Reid scores a goal in the Leinster SHC final against Galway at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Many people had also left Croke Park on Sunday before Galway showed any signs of life. The late revival came out of nowhere. By the time Cathal Mannion had engineered a goal for Brian Concannon and added a point, the Tribesmen had scored 1-6 without reply and the margin was down to four. It merely served to wake Kilkenny up. TJ Reid, still defying age and gravity, caught a fantastic ball and gave it back to Adrian Mullen, who scored a good point. For the next high ball towards the Kilkenny goal, Huw Lawlor reached into the skies and caught it before going on a gallop and providing a scoring pass for Billy Ryan. The match was a pale imitation of the Munster final, but it was claustrophobic and intense and crucially, exciting. Hurling has largely lacked excitement this year. I'd revalue the goal to four points to try to inject some adrenalin into matches. Kilkenny didn't convince me that they're contenders. They did what they had to do and Derek Lyng deserves credit for getting consistent performances out of them, but that's a Leinster six-in-a-row and they're no closer to an All-Ireland. Kilkenny will likely face Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final, which will be a serious test of their mettle. A mention of the refereeing. I get the idea about letting the game flow, but rules are there for a reason. Fouls are fouls. From the throw-in on Saturday, referee Thomas Walsh appeared to be fighting a losing battle. He even had to jump out of the way of some hitting to get the match started. Like a schoolteacher, he needed to crack down on that sort of stuff at the start. He could then loosen the reins a little bit later in the game, if he so wished, but only if he had control. Rules weren't applied and I don't think it helped the match because it made the players anxious on both sides. The management teams were up in arms, as was the crowd. Clear fouls went unpunished and I don't think it helped anyone. I would also implement some of the new football rules, primarily the clock and hooter, and take timekeeping from referees. Regardless of Limerick's complaints from Saturday, the innovation has worked well in football and needs to be introduced. The same goes for disciplinary measures on dissent and gamesmanship, which has had a radical impact on misbehaviour.
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Limerick's reign ended as Cork win Munster final classic on penalties
Cork ended Limerick's long reign in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship in the most dramatic fashion, winning 3-2 in the competition's first penalty shootout after an extraordinary final ended in a draw after extra-time. Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly netted penalties for Cork, and while Diarmuid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane converted for Limerick, misses by Barry Murphy and Declan Hannon either side of Patrick Collins' save from Tom Morrissey handed the Rebels their first provincial triumph since front of a crowd of 43,580, Cork midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon drilled over a '65 in added time at the end of extra-time to force penalties after 90-plus minutes in the Gaelic Grounds ended 1-30 to O'Connor and Shane O'Brien scored goals in either half in regulation for Limerick, with Shane Barrett raising Cork's green flag. Limerick, who were chasing a seventh consecutive title, now drop into the All-Ireland quarter-finals while last season's beaten finalists Cork progress to the last four. "Our fellas really dug in. It took an awful lot of effort over the last three weeks," Cork boss Pat Ryan told RTE. "We were embarrassed when we came up here the last time [losing by 16 points in the round-robin stage]. We had to get over Waterford [in the last game], which was a really tough game."I knew the lads were going to fight on their backs today."
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork end Limerick's Munster dominance after epic battle at the Gaelic Grounds
Munster Hurling Final: Cork 2-27 Limerick 1-30 AET (Cork win 3-2 on penalties) Cork are the new Munster hurling champions, an unexpected outcome that sent hordes of their delirious supporters, in a crowd of 43,580, on to the pitch at the Gaelic Grounds, as Robert Downey accepted the Mick Mackey Cup. Dismissed as having no more realistic ambitions than making inroads into the 16-point mauling suffered at the hands of Limerick less than three weeks previously, their understrength team rallied magnificently to confound the serial champions. It took penalties, a first ever shoot-out in a provincial final, to separate the teams at the end but by hanging on when it looked as if the champions had irresistible momentum in the second half and indeed after Darragh Fitzgibbon had seen their first penalty saved by Nickie Quaid, the new champions were well deserving of their 55th Munster title. The final was a smouldering, frantic affair, loosely refereed by Thomas Walsh, who went down with cramp in extra time and was replaced by James Owens. READ MORE It included an ill-tempered confrontation between the backroom teams at half-time, which will presumably attract the attention of the disciplinary authorities. Cork's goalkeeper Patrick Collins saves a penalty to win the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho After the near humiliation of the group match, Cork were viewed by many as akin to a political party, having suffered a landslide defeat and needing two more elections to catch up. Happily, hurling isn't politics and this match was completely different in its dynamic, respective performances and crucially, outcome. Although their bench appeared to compare unfavourably with the multiple All-Ireland winning opponents' reserves, it was the Cork auxiliaries who proved decisive, providing 0-6 of their extra-time scores, the lion's share from Shane Kingston (0-3) and Conor Lehane (0-2), who also hit penalties in the shoot-out. For John Kiely, it was a first defeat in 14 senior finals, spanning leagues, provincial championships and All-Irelands. Having posted a powerfully authoritative display in the group match, which matched their best efforts of recent years, this was a more fallible performance. They hit crucial wides when faced with the prospect of pulling away and winning a seventh successive Munster title, particularly in extra time when they looked a tired collective and even in the penalty shoot-out when their last three efforts were weary strikes. Limerick's Gearoid Hegarty with Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Cork brought a greater urgency to their efforts both in defence and in attack, getting pressure on Limerick and disrupting the smooth patterns that had effectively monopolised the previous meeting. They started with intent, opening a three-point lead in the first six minutes and even though they were reeled back in on many occasions, always responded either to equalise or nudge back in front. An attack that managed just 0-3 from play in the entire 70 minutes on the last day out had 1-10 from play by half-time, at which point they led by four, 1-14 to 1-10. The goals had spiced up exchanges, first Aidan O'Connor equalising 1-5 to 0-8 in the 20th minute after a pinpoint ball from Cian Lynch had given him a run at Eoin Downey. His batted effort beat Patrick Collins at the near post. Seven minutes later, a Cork attack ended with Brian Hayes, under real pressure, slipping the ball out to Shane Barrett, who whipped it sharply into the net, putting his team 1-9 to 1-7 ahead. Having regained the initiative, they pulled away by half-time. There had been fine individual moments, especially from debutant Diarmuid Healy, who would finish with 0-3 from play. Referee Thomas Walsh receives assistance from Limerick's Adam English after suffering cramp during extra time. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Limerick were unable to establish the same puck-out domination even with the wind in the second half, but with the half-forward line of Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Gearóid Hegarty, the Shannonsiders had their go-getters. It was Hegarty, who launched a quick free into the forwards, which Gillane got to and cleverly kicked the ball into Shane O'Brien. The replacement finished emphatically and tied the match at 2-13 to 1-16 after Cork had largely protected the lead in the third quarter. It went point for point for most of the remainder of the contest. When Limerick appeared to be making good the momentum of their goal, Cork kept hitting back. It was all hands on deck with points on the evening for two of their full-back line, veteran Damien Cahalane and Eoin Downey. Limerick lost the better chances. Aaron Gillane had a free before the end of normal time to win it but Horgan also was ready to fire a point when blocked by Kyle Hayes, who was less imposing on this occasion than he had been in May. It was the wides in extra time that really cost the champions. They managed six, some of them really poor shot selection, whereas Cork had just one, a free attempt from Fitzgibbon, who nonetheless had a storming match at centrefield, making up for his subdued outing at centre forward three weeks previously. Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon celebrates scoring a late point to take the game to penalties. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho It was who took on the final act of extra time, a 65, awarded when the usually flawless Nickie Quaid spilled a long-range free from the same player and it went out of play. It cleared the bar, wiping out Gillane's free for a foul on Cathal O'Neill, which briefly looked to have taken the champions home. Their manager, John Kiely, was unhappy at James Owens playing well over the allotted one minute of injury-time at the end but there had been stoppages within time added on. Finally, the dice were rolled with the first penalty shoot-out in MacCarthy Cup history. Diarmuid Byrnes scored first and Fitzgibbon fired his straight at Quaid before Gillane made it 2-0. But from then on the champions were curiously lacking in conviction and Cork seemingly energised, as they seized the day. LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, M Casey; D Byrnes (0-1f), K Hayes, B Nash; A English (0-3), W O'Donoghue; G Hegarty (0-2), C Lynch, T Morrissey (0-2); A Gillane (0-9, 7f), A O'Connor (1-1), D Reidy (0-3). Subs: S O'Brien (1-2) for O'Connor (42 mins), P Casey (0-1) for Reidy, C O'Neill for T Morrissey (both 55), D O'Donovan (0-1) for O'Donoghue (65), B Murphy for M Casey, D Hannon (0-1) for Byrnes (both e-t), D Morrissey for Hegarty (79), D Byrnes for Lynch (90). Penalties: Byrnes, Gillane, Murphy (wide), T Morrissey (saved), Hannon (wide). CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane (0-1), E Downey (0-1), S O'Donoghue; M Coleman, C Joyce, C O'Brien; T O'Mahony (0-1), D Fitzgibbon (0-4, 1f, 65); D Healy (0-3), S Barrett (1-3), S Harnedy (0-2); P Horgan (0-7, 4f, B Hayes (0-1), A Connolly (0-1). Subs: R Downey for O'Brien, T O'Connell (0-1) for O'Mahony (both 59 mins), S Kingston (0-3) for Connolly, R O'Flynn for Harnedy (both 65), C Lehane (0-2) for Horgan (70), N O'Leary for O'Donoghue (73), B Roche for Healy (80), A Connolly for Coleman (84). Penalties: Fitzgibbon (saved), Lehane, Kingston, Connolly. Referee: T Walsh (Waterford) replaced by J Owens (Wexford) from 73rd minute.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ciarán Murphy: Cork may be willing to lose the Munster battle to win the All-Ireland war
We were in conversation with Diarmuid O'Sullivan, John Allen and Jamie Wall last week, at a Second Captains live show in the Everyman in Cork City. We booked the three lads a month ago, when we gazed into our crystal ball and saw a town abuzz with Munster final anticipation, supporting a team on an inexorable march to an All-Ireland title – their first since Allen was manager, and The Rock was in his pomp. The conversation we ended up having was rather different. This final against Limerick coming up on Saturday? Ahhh... we could take it or leave it. If you offered me a narrow defeat with a creditable performance, I'd snap your hand off. Cork need to focus on the big one. Lose the battle, win the war. This seemed to me to be a masterclass in expectation-management, and not even within the confines of the 'yerra' punditry framework, although I suppose that is the point. If you're yerra-ing, and everyone knows you're yerra-ing, then surely that neutralises the yerra (I've already used that word far too often.) What I'm trying to say is that when they said a narrow Cork defeat would be acceptable, I did actually take them at their word. This is not what they'd have said a month ago, but the memory of that beating in the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th, when Limerick tore Cork asunder 3-26 to 1-16, has scarred them. READ MORE I think if you offered any reasonable Cork hurling supporter a defeat by three points or less on Saturday evening, they'd take it – Munster hurling final tradition bedamned. Expecting the gap between a 16-point defeat and winning an All-Ireland title to be closed in one fell swoop seems a little optimistic. In that context, a performance to build on is what the Cork public are looking for. Seldom has one round-robin game had such an outsize impact on how the rest of the championship views itself. Up until May 18th, Cork were favourites, but Tipperary and Kilkenny would not have feared them by any means. Clare sat that round of Munster games out, having surrendered control of their own destiny by losing to Tipperary the week before. But if they could ride their luck and get out of Munster, Cork would hold no fears for them either. The big question going into this championship season was whether Limerick could regather themselves having lost the chance at immortality last year. Our answer came in devastating fashion within the first two minutes in the Gaelic Grounds last month. Limerick manager John Kiely during the Munster Chanpionship game against Cork at the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho When Barry Nash found Cian Lynch, and Lynch found Aaron Gillane, and Gillane found the back of the net, there were barely 130 seconds gone. The writing was on the wall early. Cork's full-back line was exposed there, and it would continue to be exposed. Rob Downey's fitness, or lack thereof, was ruthlessly pounced upon – and whether he is selected or not for this Saturday will tell a tale. But Limerick scored as much last year in defeat at the Páirc than they did last month – 3-26 was good enough for a two-point defeat last year, and good enough for a 16-point win this year. It would be churlish to suggest there aren't problems all over the field for Cork. What was most stark was the desire that Limerick showed. Diarmuid O'Sullivan said he had never seen John Kiely so animated on the sideline as he was that day. Given Kiely is never less than demonstrative, that's a fair statement to make. He's managed in five All-Ireland finals, and O'Sullivan has had a ringside seat near him on quite a few occasions as a Cork selector, so he knows what he's talking about. As much as there was hand-wringing over Cork, that was a key question many people asked in the aftermath of that game. How could Limerick care that much? How could they want it that badly? That is what marks out the great from the good. Every time they heard Cork described as All-Ireland favourites, it was a dagger. It would be absurd to think that Limerick want this Munster final more than Cork – they're going for seven provincial titles in a row, for God's sake. But that is nevertheless what you're left with. Limerick have their foot on Cork's throat now, and they will be loath to remove it. The team with the most naked desire for a provincial title this weekend must surely be Galway . A Leinster title would frank some of the progress that has undoubtedly been made since their spineless showing in Nowlan Park in the first round of matches in this year's championship. After that, it looked like being a very short season. They have turned it around to the extent that their fans will travel in expectation of a performance, if not a result. And it's been seven years since their last title too. In that space of time Kilkenny haven't been good enough to win even one All-Ireland, so that's far too long for Galway to go without winning at least a provincial title or two. The standard has not been daunting, and yet Galway haven't been able to capitalise. Galway certainly won't be pulling any punches this weekend. I don't think Cork will be either, but whether it's enough to restore some of the belief that has been lost in the last three weeks – that's another question.
Irish Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘Scores we missed were brutal': After wasteful win over Waterford, Cork know efficiency is key in Munster final
Hype has the same capricious quality of stocks and shares endlessly disturbed by market sentiment. The time to sell your exposure to Cork hype was seven weeks ago, straight after the league final. If you had a mind to invest now and catch the market at the bottom of the curve, this would be an easy time to buy. [ Cork to face Limerick in Munster SHC final after victory over Waterford ] After weeks of fielding questions about it, Pat Ryan still isn't buying or selling. Did it influence their implosion against Limerick a week ago? Not nearly as much as hitting and hunting and all the other stuff they neglected to do. But for a couple of months the hype was out of Cork's control and that bothered the Cork manager. 'It's hard not to get drawn into the hype and some of it was stupid stuff altogether and a lot of it was coming from outside the county,' he said. READ MORE 'You heard people writing off Limerick, some of our own people – are they off their game or what? From my point of view, look, that was very annoying. I think, sometimes, fellas would be building you up, hoping that you'd get a kick in the ass. 'I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it, to be honest with you. If I could find a better word I'd find it, but I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it. 'I think our lads are trying to insulate themselves as much as they can and take away the noise. 'I think the learning we got the last day is if you're against any inter-county team – but especially against the likes of Limerick – and if you're a small bit off, they will just make an idiot of you and that's realistically what happened last Sunday.' Cork's inefficiency was an issue again in their 2-25 to 1-22 victory. They hit 17 wides and dropped three shots short. Séamus Harnedy, who was terrific again, scored three points from seven shots and that was emblematic of Cork's finishing. Straight after their first goal, when Waterford were on the rack, Cork hit five wides in about eight minutes and that spell of dominance was spoiled. Cork's Damien Cahalane and Stephen Bennett of Waterford battle it out at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO 'The scores we missed were brutal scores, for want of a better word,' Ryan said. 'It wasn't long-range scores or long-range pot-shots, we missed a good few scores around the D and that would be unlike us a bit. 'That's something we'll work on, because our efficiency has to be really, really high against Limerick. It wasn't high the last day. Efficiency is a key part of our game and that's where we need to get to if we want to have any chance in the Munster final.' For Waterford, it was the sixth time they have failed to qualify from the round robin phase of the Munster championship since this system was introduced in 2018. For the second year in a row, they went to the last game needing a win on the road and against the head. Once more it was beyond them. In his frustration afterwards, Peter Queally questioned the fairness of the championship system. 'Clare are the reigning All-Ireland champions, and they were out of the championship because of results last week. Every football team in Ireland is still in the championship. We've been training since October. Don't say that too loudly because we're not meant to be. We've been training in all the winter months,' the Waterford manager said. Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon and Conor Prunty of Waterford. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO 'Now the ground is hard, we want to be hurling, and we're gone out of the championship. I'd like to see a change in structure where we're afforded a little bit of a chance to hurl during the summer when everyone wants to hurl and everyone wants to watch hurling, not in December, January and February. 'I've had conversations with fellas who have decided to opt out. People are deciding not to play because of the amount of effort and training that's asked of them all through the winter months. 'Then you come up against three awesome hurling teams and you're putting away your hurley in the summer evenings when all you want to do is hurl.' Whatever else might change, the brutality of the Munster championship remains.
