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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
Cork believe goals win games but Limerick's sharpshooting can get the job done
The Cork hurlers have scored 19 more goals than their Limerick counterparts so far this year – proof if needed that not all journeys towards silverware follow the same route. Pat Ryan's Rebels enter Saturday's Munster SHC final having bagged 27 goals over the course of the season – league and championship – while Limerick have managed just eight. The Rebels have scored at least one goal in all 11 of their competitive outings in 2025, while Limerick have raised green flags in just five of their 10 outings. Yet 50 per cent of Limerick's eight-goal haul was scored against Cork – one in the league and three in the group stages of the provincial championship. READ MORE But if Cork have been dealing largely in the currency of goals, Limerick continue to profit from their long-range shooting, the Treaty County proving to be masters of outpointing the opposition. John Kiely's men were the only one of the five teams in the Munster SHC to break the 100-point mark this term, raising 101 white flags. Given their contrasting attacking weaponry, the defensive shapes of both teams will be telling on Saturday as to how each intend on stemming the other's scoring threat. 'From my experience, you'd always set up differently regarding playing a team that you know are predominantly goalscorers. You'd set up a different way if you know that they're going to be an outside and shooting team,' explains former Tipperary hurler Patrick 'Bonner' Maher. 'Your tactics would be justified by the team you're playing, generally. That's how we would have always approached it. 'I'm looking forward to both Cork and Limerick coming up against each other and just seeing those two different styles.' Limerick's Shane O'Brien scores a goal against Galway in the NHL Division 1A game at the Gaelic Grounds. Photograph: James Lawlor/Inpho Cork have had 10 different goalscorers with Brian Hayes topping the list on eight goals – five in the league and three in the championship. Hayes has also been directly involved in setting up as many goals as he has scored. Limerick's goalscoring has been shared by four players in 2025 – Shane O'Brien (three), Aaron Gillane (two), Adam English (two) and Will O'Donoghue (one). Cork really hit a goalscoring streak at the latter end of the league – netting 13 goals in their last three games, including the league final win over Tipp. That green-flag frenzy helped the Leesiders win a first Division One league title since 1998. Goal-scoring is a factor Cork coach Donal O'Rourke spoke about at the launch of this year's Munster Championship. 'We'd done a lot of work on it. It's a big thing with us because we know with the style of player we have that we're going to create goal chances,' he stated. 'Pat really made it a priority. We did zone in on it and we've kind of borne the fruits a little bit over the last couple of games. But it's not something we want to take our eye off. We just need to keep being very clinical and execute the chances when they're presented to us.' Generally, they have continued to do so in the games since – scoring two against Clare, four against Tipperary, one against Limerick and a brace against Waterford. However, if Cork's inside line has been wreaking havoc this season then Limerick's much vaunted middle eight has continued to break the spirit of opponents with accurate long-range attacks. Limerick had 11 different scorers when they beat Cork in the group stages last month. The midfield and half-forward line axis contributed 1-11 with Adam English, Gearóid Hegarty, Cian Lynch and Tom Morrissey all getting on the scoreboard. Limerick's approach seems to be based on a target of manufacturing around 40 shots per game – confident that with such a number of efforts their long-range shooters can afford to drop some wide but still outscore the opposition. Results in recent years would suggest that's pretty sound logic. Kilkenny's Martin Keoghan scores a goal against Offaly in the Leinster Championship third round fixture at Nowlan Park. Photograph: Ken Sutton/Inpho When the sides met at the Gaelic Grounds last month, Limerick had 39 shots and Cork had 31. Limerick won that fixture pulling up. That also just happens to be Limerick's most productive day this season in terms of goalscoring – Gillane netting two and English with the other. 'You can't take it away from Limerick either, if Limerick want to score goals they're well able to score goals too,' adds Maher. 'They can mix it both ways. As can Cork. Both teams have varying styles, that's a great thing to have in your armour when you're a team that can mix it.' And the same is true of Sunday's Leinster SHC final. No team has scored more goals than Kilkenny during this year's provincial championships – Derek Lyng's side amassing 15 goals over the course of the round-robin stages. Galway scored nine goals, with six of those coming against Antrim. Kilkenny scored at least one goal in all of their group games, while Galway failed to raise green flags in two matches. However, Galway were the highest point-scoring team across the two provincial championships, the Tribesmen scoring 131 points. Kilkenny hit 113 points. The four respective Munster and Leinster finalists have carved different scoring pathways to this stage of the season. And provincial hurling final weekend is once again likely to demonstrate there remains more than one way to skin a cat. Cork's goals in 2025 League 2 v Wexford; 1 v Limerick; 1 v Tipperary; 1 v Kilkenny; 6 v Clare; 4 v Galway; 3 v Tipp. Total: 18 Championship 2 v Clare; 4 v Tipperary; 1 v Limerick; 2 v Waterford Total: 9 Overall: 27 Limerick's goals in 2025 League 1 v Cork; 1 v Galway; 1 v Wexford Total: 3 Championship 2 v Tipperary; 3 v Cork Total: 5 Overall: 8
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Irish Times
Kyle Hayes to carry out community service instead of prison, judge confirms
Limerick hurler Kyle Hayes has avoided jail after a judge deemed him suitable for community service. Hayes was back in court on Monday, less than 24 hours after he was named man of the match in Limerick's defeat of Cork in the fourth round of the Munster senior hurling championship. Judge Dara Hayes had previously indicated at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court that he faced serving 180 hours of community service in lieu of three months in jail. After confirming the order, however, the judge warned Hayes he would be going to prison if he committed further criminal offences. READ MORE The suspended jail term was imposed on the Limerick centre-back after a jury convicted him of two counts of committing violent disorder, inside and outside, the Icon nightclub, Limerick, in 2019 - charges he denied at a trial in 2023. On Monday the judge reminded Hayes that all of the relevant legal 'obligations and requirements' on the hurler had been 'explained' to him. The judge warned that 'non-compliance' with the order would see the All-Star hurler going to jail. Addressing Hayes, the judge said: 'If there is non-compliance you will be brought back before the court and the (three month) sentence will be imposed.' Hayes replied: 'Yes, judge.' The judge said he would make 'no order' on the hurler's second conviction for violent disorder, in respect of the same night at the nightclub in 2019. The terms of the judgement order, specifically, where and when Hayes will be starting his community service, were not dislocated in court. Judge Hayes said the hurler must complete the community service order within 12 months. Hayes's barrister, senior counsel Brian McInerney, confirmed to the court that the probation service had deemed the hurler suitable for community service in lieu of the jail sentence. 'A suitable service has been selected and all other matters have been satisfied,' Mr McInerney told the court. Hayes (26) of Ballyahsea, Kildimo, Co Limerick, appeared as part of long-standing 'Section 99 Re-entry' proceedings. The hearing was initially triggered after Hayes engaged in dangerous driving at Mallow, Co Cork, four months after the violent disorder concurrent suspended sentences of 18 months and two years were imposed on him in March 2024. On July 14th, 2024, Hayes was recorded by a Garda overtaking nine cars in a row on a stretch of the N20 Cork- Limerick dual carriageway, whilst driving 55kph above the 100kph speed limit. Hayes subsequently lost an appeal against the driving conviction on March 12th 2025, for which he was given a two-year driving ban and fined €250. Previously summarising the events from the Icon nightclub, Judge Hayes said the Limerick hurler was one of two men who 'aggressively approached' self-employed carpenter, Cillian McCarthy, and that Hayes was one of a group of four males who later on 'attacked' Mr McCarthy inside the nightclub. The judge said two gardaí gave evidence at Hayes's trial that they saw the hurler kicking a man lying on the street outside the nightclub, on the night, but the judge said there was no evidence before the court that the man on the ground was Cillian McCarthy. The judge said the trial jury acquitted Hayes of a third charge, assault causing harm to Mr McCarthy. He said Kyle Hayes had paid €10,000 in damages to Mr McCarthy as part of the terms of the suspended sentences imposed on him.
