Cork erupt into the big time to shatter Limerick dreams of five-in-a-row
All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Cork 1-28 Limerick 0-29
Sun, scores and a shock to make the summer vibrate. Cork, the great hiders in plain sight, broke cover to leave All-Ireland champions Limerick with their four All-Irelands but gazing forlornly at the now vanished prospect of a historic five-in-a-row.
It was an All-Ireland semi-final that crackled and fizzed with relentless scoring and energy-sapping runs and confrontations. Cork had beaten Limerick earlier in the championship on a breathless night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh to rescue a sinking season.
Confidence in their mission to repeat that had apparently been undermined by Cork’s performances in the meantime but also by the all too familiar steady improvement in Limerick, incrementally rising through the Munster final and apparently fully stocked and ready to register further gains.
Unfortunately for the champions they were no better equipped to cope with Cork’s exuberance and above all, pace.
Shane Barrett, Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes exerted intense pressure and Limerick, for all that they managed reasonably well at first, were run ragged in the third quarter when Cork opened up a serious gap on the scoreboard, peaking at seven, which of itself is no guarantee with nearly 20 minutes hurling to come.
[ Cork 1-28 Limerick 0-29: As it happened ]
Limerick went down like the serial champions they are, raging against the imminent reckoning and pouring down on Cork in the final minutes. Point by point they set about erasing the deficit and down it came, but as push reached shove their replacements started to miss.
Having given the team great impetus off the bench and scored four between them, Adam English, Shane O’Brien and Aidan O’Connor hit momentum-draining wides as time ran down the hourglass.
By this stage Cork looked spent and unable to hold on to attacking possession. Each time the ball travelled into Limerick territory, back it came and the assault on the scoreboard resumed.
Cork’s Niall O'Leary celebrates the victory over Limerick at the final whistle. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Cork had started the semi-final a little tentatively, as Aaron Gillane, who was effectively the leader of the resistance, found space to score Limerick’s first point within little over 30 seconds. Next, Séamus Flanagan went up for a great catch and turned in on goal but Eoin Downey got in a block for a 65 that Diarmaid Byrnes somewhat surprisingly missed.
Cork responded and got their running game in motion. Their scoring was kick-started by a long-range free from Declan Dalton, on his own 65. Connolly then broke his dry run in the past two matches by striking the next point, followed by a third from Darragh Fitzgibbon.
It was clear that Cork were back closer to the best of their Munster championship form and proof arrived with the county’s hurling currency, a goal, in the 18th minute after the lead had bobbed around, changing hands with Séamus Harnedy pushing it to 0-7 to 0-6.
Barrett raced down the left and popped the ball into Hayes and he finished thunderously into the Canal goal. Shortly afterwards, Connolly picked up in traffic and ran at the defence before passing to Hayes who smashed the airborne pass into the net.
Referee Thomas Walsh disallowed the goal for a thrown pass. Hayes added the next point and was nearly in for another goal when Fitzgibbon flicked the ball over the defence and into his path but Hayes couldn’t quite keep it down and scored a point.
Limerick the took over the second quarter. Gillane was a constant threat but David Reidy and Diarmaid Byrnes also got in on the act. Were Cork beginning to crack when Pat Horgan missed a straightforward free before half-time? Not necessarily and Connolly pointed off a turnover of Declan Hannon.
It was a two-point match at the break, 1-11 to 0-16.
The most significant quarter in recent hurling history began with Cork out like a tornado after half-time. They made short work of the deficit and outscored the champions 0-12 to 0-3 with lightning-fast attack and shooting remarkable for its accuracy in the maelstrom.
Cork's Shane Barrett comes up against Diarmaid Byrnes and Tom Morrissey of Limerick during the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
The immense Fitzgibbon, Horgan, Barrett, Hayes, Horgan – no matter who, they kept pressing. Limerick struggled to get any traction in their usual dominion of the middle third. The crowd went crazy.
There was a passage of play when Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins saved from Gearóid Hegarty and Gillane slipped trying to follow up. As Cork cleared the decks, a great chaotic roar rose from the their supporters and it hadn’t subsided by the time Dalton caught the relieving clearance and stuck it over the bar at the other end for 1-21 to 0-19.
It took sterling defence to complement the scoring effort and there were terrific individual displays set in the collective defiance.
Corner backs Niall O’Leary and captain Seán O’Donoghue stayed sharp and quick to make relieving breaks. Robert Downey was tireless at centre back and Mark Coleman stayed strong as the team wavered towards the end, almost emptied by what will be for generations, a storied performance.
They will return to Dublin to face formidable opponents in Clare but that is for a fortnight’s time.
CORK: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Eoin Downey, Seán O’Donoghue; Tim O’Mahony, Robert Downey (0-1), Mark Coleman (0-1); Ciarán Joyce, Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-3); Declan Dalton (0-4, 0-2f), Shane Barrett (0-3), Séamus Harnedy (0-4); Patrick Horgan (0-5, 0-3f), Alan Connolly (0-3), Brian Hayes (1-4).
Subs: Ethan Twomey for O’Mahony (59 mins); Shane Kingston for Dalton (62); Robbie O’Flynn for Harnedy (67); Pádraig Power for Horgan (73).
LIMERICK: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes (0-3, 0-2f), Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes (0-1); Will O’Donoghue, Cathal O’Neill (0-3); Gearóid Hegarty (0-1), Cian Lynch (0-1), Tom Morrissey (0-2); Aaron Gillane (0-10, 0-4f), Séamus Flanagan (0-1), David Reidy (0-3).
Subs: Shane O’Brien (0-2) for Flanagan, Adam English (0-2) for Reidy, Darragh O’Donovan for O’Donoghue (all 52 mins); Aidan O’Connor for T Morrissey (64).
Referee: Thomas Walsh (Waterford).
