Cork v Limerick: Rebels back on track after epic victory over All-Ireland champions

Cork 3-28 Limerick 3-26 

Nothing in Cork sport moves the needle like hurling. Saturday night in Páirc Uí Chaoimh showed that, in absolute spades.

For the second year in a row, Cork faced Limerick needing a win to keep their campaign alive.

For the second year in a row, they gave as good as they got. This time, instead of coming up short, they got over the line.

Before a crowd of 41,670, it looked like the All-Ireland champions’ relentless staying power had proven itself once again. From a space where they trailed by eight points more than once, the Shannonsiders moved four ahead, 3-25 to 2-24, when Gearóid Hegarty pointed with four minutes left. Still Cork refused to yield.

Sub Shane Kingston pointed. Alan Connolly added another from Seán O’Donoghue’s pass, despite being fouled. When Hayes was fouled as he got a shot away, Patrick Horgan’s 11th closed the gap to one.

Cork thought they might have had a chance to level when Horgan went down but instead he was penalised for charging and the yellow card for dissent added insult to injury.

Limerick being Limerick, when sub Adam English did brilliantly to win possession and allow another replacement, Aidan O’Connor, to leave two in it again, that seemed to be that.

But still Cork weren’t done. Kingston showed guile to drive goalwards rather than take the point that might have led to another to level. Kyle Hayes did what anyone would do and halted the progress by any means. Referee Seán Stack judged it to be a goalscoring opportunity though and awarded a penalty, with Hayes being black-carded.

If everyone in the venue felt the tension of the moment, Horgan did not and he stuck the penalty. Cork claimed the puckout and Shane Barrett was fouled. Horgan didn’t go for another free but instead set up Brian Hayes for the clincher.

At the end, the pitch was flooded by thousands in red and white. Bruce Springsteen will be the next star to adorn it and his track, Glory Days, which felt wistful after the Clare game, was an affirmation.

The turnaround is by no means complete – Cork must still beat Tipperary and that may not be enough – but this was the first big night to go the Rebels’ way in the full version of the new stadium.

If there was luck involved, Cork earned it, especially in the first half. Aaron Gillane had the opening score of the evening, a free inside the first minute, but it was the only time Limerick led in the opning period. Cork, playing with the wind which was uncharacteristically pointing towards the city, hit their stride.

The sides were level at 0-2 each when Brian Hayes broke a Cork puckout to Shane Barrett, who in turn fed Séamus Harnedy and he fired past Nickie Quaid. Patrick Horgan added a free and, though Gillane replied in kind, Cork were to add five more points before Limerick registered again.

The Cork play was not perfect, but it was composed of enough good things to reap rewards. Harnedy pointed after Declan Dalton did enough to stop Diarmaid Byrnes claiming a puckout, Horgan scored from a Darragh Fitzgibbon diagonal ball and then the Charleville man set up Alan Connolly for a goal chance, which Quaid saved.

With Byrnes’ sights off from long-range frees, Cork continued to build and it was 1-8 to 0-4 when Dalton slung over a free from behind his own 65. Séamus Flanagan ended the Limerick drought but it could have been worse as Kyle Hayes was allowed to carry the ball deep into Cork territory. At the other end, Tim O’Mahony’s pass allowed Brian Hayes to slip Barry Nash but he was hooked at a vital moment and his ground shot was tipped over by Quaid.

The temperature rose somewhat after Hayes was found prone on the ground on 21 minutes but, though the Limerick support felt Dalton was the culprit, the officials had not witnessed anything.

Slowly, Limerick looked to be finding their stride and they were back to six points, 1-11 to 0-8, when Gillane intercepted a Seán O’Donoghue ball out of defence and set up Flanagan for a goal.

An injury to Harnedy slowed down the restart, but when Patrick Collins was able to launch the puckout, it was Harnedy who claimed it cleanly, setting Barrett away for a superbly taken goal and the ideal response.

Amid the wall of noise, Horgan and Dalton sent over frees in quick succession to open up an eight-point gap, 2-13 to 1-8. Gillane and Tom Morrissey brought that back to six but Horgan had his fifth point in injury time. Then, after Dalton did brilliantly to get to a loose ball and pull it up field, Horgan was fouled and scored his sixth. It sent them in leading by 2-15 to 1-10.

Both sides were out late for the second half, Cork arriving to a huge cheer, but it was Limerick who had the better start. Cian Lynch, switched from centre-forward to midfield, pointed immediately and they had four of the next five, with Cathal O’Neill’s point leaving it 2-16 to 1-15.

A pair of Horgan frees gave Cork breathing space and Alan Connolly got on the scoresheet after O’Neill’s second for Limerick. When Hayes was fouled after a great catch in the 49th minute, Horgan’s ninth made it 2-20 to 1-16 but it was the last time Cork enjoyed such a cushion.

Adam English with his first touch and Gillane brought Limerick back to five and a Hegarty turnover led to Flanagan’s second goal. They were level at 2-20 soon after and the third goal, again Hegarty setting up Flanagan, looked to be the turning of the screw.

Hayes’ point made it 3-23 to 2-23, but Cork were not done by a long shot.

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 1-11 (1-0 penalty, 0-9 f), D Fitzgibbon 0-5, S Harnedy, S Barrett 1-2 each, A Connolly, B Hayes, D Dalton (0-2f) 0-2 each, S Kingston, E Twomey 0-1 each.

Limerick: S Flanagan 3-3, A Gillane 0-7 f, G Hegarty 0-4, C O'Neill 0-3, T Morrissey, D Byrnes (0-2f) 0-2 each, C Lynch, A English, D Reidy, K Hayes, A O'Connor 0-1 each. 

CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; T O’Mahony, R Downey, M Coleman; E Twomey, D Fitzgibbon; D Dalton, S Barrett, S Harnedy; P Horgan, A Connolly, B Hayes.

Subs: D Cahalane for E Downey (23), B Roche for Twomey (57), G Millerick for Coleman (63), S Kingston for Dalton (62), T O’Connell for Downey (66).

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, B Nash; D Byrnes, D Hannon, K Hayes; W O’Donoghue, C O’Neill; G Hegarty, C Lynch, T Morrissey; A Gillane, S Flanagan, D Reidy. 

Subs: F O’Connor for Finn (35+2, injured), A English for Reidy (49), C Boylan for T Morrissey (61), A O’Connor for Hannon (68), D Ó Dálaigh for Gillane (70).

Referee: S Stack (Dublin).