All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Semi-Final

By Matt O’Callaghan
CORK…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1-28
LIMERICK…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..0-29
Limerick’s hopes of a completing a historic five in a row were brought to an end by a high energy performance by Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final at Croke Park on Sunday.
This latest episode of one of hurling’s oldest and keenest rivals was a classic from start to finish with both sides enjoying periods of mastery and on level terms no fewer than seven occasions over the course of the game. The defining period for Limerick’s great odyssey over the last seven years has very often been a drive on in the third quarter. On this occasion in a role reversal, it was Pat Ryan’s men who sowed the seeds for a historic victory in that period as they transformed a two point deficit at half time into a seven points lead as the game entered the final quarter.
The dream of five in a row is dead but John Kiely and his men left headquarters on Sunday with their reputation of being one of hurling’s greatest ever teams untarnished. Limerick died with their boots on, and succumbed to a Cork side whose pace and skill lit up this penultimate round showdown.
It was end to end stuff for 70-odd minutes with exciting goalmouth action and embellished by some off-the-charts scoring feats from all angles and distances. The game yielded just one goal but there could have been many more had Patrick Collins not made a spectacular double save in the first half. The Ballinhassig net minder in the second half saved brilliantly from Gearóid Hegarty and did enough to put off Aaron Gillane from netting the follow-up.
At the other end Nickie Quaid was equally busy forcing Brian Hayes to knock over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Hayes was very unlucky not to have a second goal after Alan Connolly laid on a hand pass that was deemed by referee Thomas Walsh to have been thrown. At the end when the game was in the melting pot, a ball that bounced kindly off the woodwork into the path of Patrick Horgan to seal the deal was brilliantly smothered by Nickie Quaid.
Every player in red and green that started and those who joined the fray left everything on the hallowed turf after a serving of hurling that will be recalled in folklore with Cuchulainn-like deference.
Pat Ryan got all the big calls right, ensuring as little ball as possible went in the direction of Kyle Hayes, and the switch of Ciarán Joyce to half back with Tim O’Mahony going in the opposite direction.
Limerick have been dogged by injuries to key players throughout the glorious odyssey and this occasion was no different with Barry Nash and Peter Casey sitting out the entire game and Darragh O’Donovan only making a cameo appearance in the second half.
That is not to detract from a superb Cork performance that finally banished the ghosts of the last time the Munster rivals squared up in Croke Park in the 2021 All-Ireland Final.
Aaron Gillane had Limerick off the mark after 37 seconds but Cork were into their stride early when Rob Downey careered through the Limerick defence to equalise after four minutes. Three points in as many minutes from a Declan Dalton free, Alan Connolly and Darragh Fitzgibbon gave the Rebels an early advantage on the scoreboard. Limerick hit back with three in a row from Aaron Gillane free, Cathal O’Neill and Séamus Flanagan to tie up the scores 0-4 apiece after a nine minute early scoring flurry.
Séamus Harnedy and Mark Coleman put Cork back in front and Limerick immediately replied through Tom Morrissey when he caught the puck-out after Coleman’s free and David Reidy.
Cork hit a purple patch kicked off by a Séamus Harnedy point immediately followed by Shane Barrett doing the spadework in setting up Brian Hayes to race in from the right and unleash an unstoppable shot past Nickie Quaid to the corner of the Limerick net. Hayes added a point to open up a five point gap and it provoked a response from Limerick in the shape of five points in a row from Tom Morr-issey, Diarmaid Byrnes, Cathal O’Neill, Cian Lynch and Aaron Gillane to tie up the scores again, 0-11 to 1-8, after 26 minutes. Limerick’s scoring sequence could have been greater were it not for a spectacular double save by Patrick Collins in the 24th minute first denying Aaron Gillane and then Séamus Flangan from the follow-up.
Brian Hayes edged the Rebels back in front but Limerick were now in full flight and responded with points from Aaron Gillane free, David Reidy and Gillane from play. Alan Connoly halted the Limerick point scoring show with one for the Rebels that was quickly trumped by Diarmaid Byrnes (free) from distance and David Reidy. A Shane Barrett point completed the scoring after a frantic first half with Limerick in the ascendency 0-16 to 1-11.
Cork flew out of the traps and were level within a minute of the restart courtesy of points from Darragh Fitzgibbon and Patrick Horgan. Cathal O’Neill nudged Limerick back in front but Cork were on a roll and points from Shane Barrett, Alan Connolly and Patrick Horgan free saw the Leesiders go two clear. Aaron Gillane kept the scoreboard ticking over for Limerick but the Cork surge was relentless with Shane Barrett and a monstrous free from deep inside his own half from Declan Dalton seeing Pat Ryan’s men establish a three points cushion.
Limerick’s response on the scoreboard was now sporadic and Diarmaid Byrne from a free closed the gap, only for it to be immediately opened wider following points from Brian Hayes and a Declan Dalton double. Aaron Gillane had a Limerick point that was trumped by a Patrick Horgan free and Séamus Harnedy as Cork opened up a seven point gap 1-24 to 0-20 after 51 minutes.
The All-Ireland crown was now resting uneasily on Limerick heads as they set about dismantling the Cork advantage. An Aaron Gillane free and Kyle Hayes made the first inroads in the deficit but their efforts were quickly negated by Darragh Fitz-gibbon and Patrick Horgan.
Limerick began a come-back with points from substitutes Shane O’Brien and Adam English and from Aaron Gillane to close the gap to four. Patrick Horgan (free) and Brian Hayes gave Cork breathing space by extending the lead out to six, before Limerick hit four in a row from Aaron Gillane free, Shane O’Brien, Adam English and Gearóid Hegarty to close the gap to two points with two minutes of regulation time remaining.
Patrick Horgan had a chance to put the game beyond Limerick’s reach but Nickie Quaid came to Limerick’s rescue and despite the best Shannon-side efforts, time ran out on the drive for five.
Scorers: Cork: Brian Hayes 1-4: Patrick Horgan 0-5, 3fs; Declan Dalton 2fs, Séamus Harnedy 0-4 each: Alan Connolly, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett 0-3 each; Robert Downey, Mark Coleman 0-1 each.
Limerick: Aaron Gillane 0-10, 4fs; Cathal O’Neill, David Reidy, Diarmaid Byrnes 2fs, 0-3 each; Tom Morrissey, Shane O’Brien, Adam English 0-2 each; Séamus Flanagan, Cian Lynch, Kyle Hayes, Gearóid Hegarty 0-1 each.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Eoin Downey, Seán O’Donog-hue (Captain); Tim O’Mahony, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Ciarán Joyce, Darragh Fitzgibbon; Declan Dalton, Shane Barrett, Séamus Harnedy; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes.
Subs: Ethan Twomey for Tim O’Mahony (58), Shane Kingston for Dalton (62), Robbie O’Flynn for Séamus Harnedy (67), Pádraig Power for Patrick Horgan (70 + 2).
Limerick: Nickie Quaid; Seán Finn, Dan Morrissey, Mike Casey; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon (Captain), Kyle Hayes; William O’Donoghue, Cathal O’Neill; Gearóid Hegarty, Cian Lynch, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Séamus Flanagan, David Reidy.
Subs: Shane O’Brien for Flanagan (52), Darragh O’Donovan for William O’Donoghue (54), Adam English for David Reidy (54) Aidan O’Connor for Tom Morrissey (63).
Referee: Thomas Walsh, Waterford.