SUCCESS OVER TIPPERARY last Sunday released a pressure valve for the Cork hurlers.
The memories of last July’s All-Ireland collapse hovered over them in the build-up, the league decider defeat to Limerick that kick-started this pivotal month was another relevant issue.
It felt as if that winning Munster start lessened the stress facing them when meeting Limerick again yesterday, and changed the absolute imperative to get maximum points.
And yet events changed the conditions of the game. There was a recurring Patrickswell theme a play. Firstly came Thursday night’s news that Aaron Gillane was ruled out through injury, a narrative-changing withdrawal given the damage he caused the Cork defence with his brilliance in the league final.
Then during the game came the red card shown to Cian Lynch in the 50th minute for a strike off the ball on Tim O’Mahony, a shift in the momentum towards Cork with the benefit of an extra man.
And lastly there was Diarmaid Byrnes venturing upfield in the 67th minute, opting against the simple tap-over point from a 20-yard free when Limerick trailed by one, and instead vaulting his side into the lead with the goal that placed them on the brink of an improbable victory.
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In the psychological warfare that exists in this ever-growing Munster hurling rivalry, a Limerick victory in those circumstances would have seen them issue a major statement. Gradually as those events occurred it became a must-win game for Cork, they couldn’t afford to ship a defeat in such a scenario. They avoided their morale being dented, fashioning a late scoring run of three points when it was needed most.
Darragh Fitzgibbon won the free, shipping a huge hit from Mike Casey in the process, that Alan Connolly converted to level. Then Mark Coleman drew a foul that Connolly nailed, despite the more difficult combination of distance and angle, to push Cork ahead. The finishing touch was applied by Fitzgibbon with his point from play as he benefitted from the creative work of Brian Hayes. When it was needed most Cork found the grit and leadership to get themselves over the line. Their manager hasn’t doubted the presence of those qualities.
“I’m delighted with them. We’ve a lot of work done with Eric Baxter and Gerry Hussey (team performance coaches). We all make mistakes in all walks of life. Them lads make mistakes as well but they’re trying to do the right thing all the time.
“There are questions asked of our fellas mentally, that they’re mentally weak. Them fellas aren’t mentally weak at all. Delighted with them two weeks in a row that when the pressure really came on, they were able to get into the battle.
“Anyone that we play we’ll outbattle them if it comes to it. We like to play nice hurling but people have us down as a soft touch – we’re no soft touch.”
It was an imperfect performance by Cork. A slow and sluggish start looked like it would see their hopes unravel quickly. Limerick ripped them apart, just as they did in that phase of the league final. The 0-10 to 0-3 advantage after 16 minutes was perfectly justified given Limerick’s dominance. Cork were wayward in their attacking delivieries, and unsettled by the early loss of Ciaran Joyce limping off after damaging his knee.
After Lynch’s dismissal and Connolly’s second-half goal, everything pointed towards Cork pulling clear to win with something to spare. They didn’t manage that last quarter well at times, while Limerick’s refusal to quit dragged them back into it.
Other Cork early championship victories in recent years have featured performances of greater polish, and prompted the hype around their overall prospects to escalate. Digging out the victory here, similar to how they did against Tipperary, is a valuable commodity.
“Coming down, all we wanted to do was win, it didn’t have to be pretty,” remarked O’Connor afterwards.
“It’s all about two points, it’s about getting out of Munster. It was made a small little bit easier by having 14 against 15, but look, we’ll take it.”
Cork will be heartened by the chemistry of their attacking play. Their youngsters dazzled on their debuts last Sunday, Barry Walsh and William Buckley were quieter in comparison yesterday. The remaining forward members, Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Connolly, and Hayes are the established figures, the ones expected to shoulder the leadership up front. Fitzgibbon and Barrett in the half-forward line were the prominent pair in Thurles, the inside duo of Connolly and Hayes more supporting acts than part of the main cast.
Yesterday Cork’s attacking approach was of a more mixed variety, utilising their half-forward threats while placing a greater emphasis on direct deliveries. Their quartet contributed 2-17 out of Cork’s overall 2-22 tally. The goals were crucial, just like those strikes have been pivotal on Cork’s best days when taking on this golden Limerick group.
Both goals captured the interplay at work, Connolly stripping William O’Donoghue of possession and laying off to Barrett for the first, Hayes outmuscling the Limerick rearguard to win primary ball and flick a pass into the path of Connolly for the second. That move was the reverse of a previous chance in the second half, Connolly setting up Hayes who was denied by a terrific save from Quaid.
Fitzgibbon rifled over a couple of booming points from distance when Cork needed a jolt to rouse them in the first half, while that goal Barrett cracked home altered the course of the game.
“We had a lot of fellas there that put their hand up again today when the going got tough,” said O’Connor.
“Our first championship match at home for a new backroom team and we’re delighted to get a win.”
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For a group entering a new era under the guidance of different sideline figures, achieving wins over Tipperary and Limerick in the space of eight days, is positive stuff as they figure their way through this unforgiving Munster arena.
In his post-match RTÉ interview, Fitzgibbon hailed Limerick’s ‘phenomenal’ endurance and also revealingly spoke about how they had targeted two wins from their opening two encounters, the type of start that Cork had not achieved before in the round-robin era. The displays to get those successes have contained their flaws and there were traces of anxiety creeping into their system in the finales of both games.
But in a results-based business, Cork will close out April, a month that always held a defining air to it about their 2026 hopes and dreams, on an upbeat note.
“If you told us at the start of the championship, after two games we’d have four points, we’d have been thrilled.”
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'We’re no soft touch': Cork showcase grit against Limerick in a game that became must-win
SUCCESS OVER TIPPERARY last Sunday released a pressure valve for the Cork hurlers.
The memories of last July’s All-Ireland collapse hovered over them in the build-up, the league decider defeat to Limerick that kick-started this pivotal month was another relevant issue.
It felt as if that winning Munster start lessened the stress facing them when meeting Limerick again yesterday, and changed the absolute imperative to get maximum points.
And yet events changed the conditions of the game. There was a recurring Patrickswell theme a play. Firstly came Thursday night’s news that Aaron Gillane was ruled out through injury, a narrative-changing withdrawal given the damage he caused the Cork defence with his brilliance in the league final.
Then during the game came the red card shown to Cian Lynch in the 50th minute for a strike off the ball on Tim O’Mahony, a shift in the momentum towards Cork with the benefit of an extra man.
And lastly there was Diarmaid Byrnes venturing upfield in the 67th minute, opting against the simple tap-over point from a 20-yard free when Limerick trailed by one, and instead vaulting his side into the lead with the goal that placed them on the brink of an improbable victory.
In the psychological warfare that exists in this ever-growing Munster hurling rivalry, a Limerick victory in those circumstances would have seen them issue a major statement. Gradually as those events occurred it became a must-win game for Cork, they couldn’t afford to ship a defeat in such a scenario. They avoided their morale being dented, fashioning a late scoring run of three points when it was needed most.
Darragh Fitzgibbon won the free, shipping a huge hit from Mike Casey in the process, that Alan Connolly converted to level. Then Mark Coleman drew a foul that Connolly nailed, despite the more difficult combination of distance and angle, to push Cork ahead. The finishing touch was applied by Fitzgibbon with his point from play as he benefitted from the creative work of Brian Hayes. When it was needed most Cork found the grit and leadership to get themselves over the line. Their manager hasn’t doubted the presence of those qualities.
“I’m delighted with them. We’ve a lot of work done with Eric Baxter and Gerry Hussey (team performance coaches). We all make mistakes in all walks of life. Them lads make mistakes as well but they’re trying to do the right thing all the time.
“There are questions asked of our fellas mentally, that they’re mentally weak. Them fellas aren’t mentally weak at all. Delighted with them two weeks in a row that when the pressure really came on, they were able to get into the battle.
“Anyone that we play we’ll outbattle them if it comes to it. We like to play nice hurling but people have us down as a soft touch – we’re no soft touch.”
It was an imperfect performance by Cork. A slow and sluggish start looked like it would see their hopes unravel quickly. Limerick ripped them apart, just as they did in that phase of the league final. The 0-10 to 0-3 advantage after 16 minutes was perfectly justified given Limerick’s dominance. Cork were wayward in their attacking delivieries, and unsettled by the early loss of Ciaran Joyce limping off after damaging his knee.
After Lynch’s dismissal and Connolly’s second-half goal, everything pointed towards Cork pulling clear to win with something to spare. They didn’t manage that last quarter well at times, while Limerick’s refusal to quit dragged them back into it.
Other Cork early championship victories in recent years have featured performances of greater polish, and prompted the hype around their overall prospects to escalate. Digging out the victory here, similar to how they did against Tipperary, is a valuable commodity.
“Coming down, all we wanted to do was win, it didn’t have to be pretty,” remarked O’Connor afterwards.
“It’s all about two points, it’s about getting out of Munster. It was made a small little bit easier by having 14 against 15, but look, we’ll take it.”
Cork will be heartened by the chemistry of their attacking play. Their youngsters dazzled on their debuts last Sunday, Barry Walsh and William Buckley were quieter in comparison yesterday. The remaining forward members, Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Connolly, and Hayes are the established figures, the ones expected to shoulder the leadership up front. Fitzgibbon and Barrett in the half-forward line were the prominent pair in Thurles, the inside duo of Connolly and Hayes more supporting acts than part of the main cast.
Yesterday Cork’s attacking approach was of a more mixed variety, utilising their half-forward threats while placing a greater emphasis on direct deliveries. Their quartet contributed 2-17 out of Cork’s overall 2-22 tally. The goals were crucial, just like those strikes have been pivotal on Cork’s best days when taking on this golden Limerick group.
Both goals captured the interplay at work, Connolly stripping William O’Donoghue of possession and laying off to Barrett for the first, Hayes outmuscling the Limerick rearguard to win primary ball and flick a pass into the path of Connolly for the second. That move was the reverse of a previous chance in the second half, Connolly setting up Hayes who was denied by a terrific save from Quaid.
Fitzgibbon rifled over a couple of booming points from distance when Cork needed a jolt to rouse them in the first half, while that goal Barrett cracked home altered the course of the game.
“We had a lot of fellas there that put their hand up again today when the going got tough,” said O’Connor.
“Our first championship match at home for a new backroom team and we’re delighted to get a win.”
For a group entering a new era under the guidance of different sideline figures, achieving wins over Tipperary and Limerick in the space of eight days, is positive stuff as they figure their way through this unforgiving Munster arena.
In his post-match RTÉ interview, Fitzgibbon hailed Limerick’s ‘phenomenal’ endurance and also revealingly spoke about how they had targeted two wins from their opening two encounters, the type of start that Cork had not achieved before in the round-robin era. The displays to get those successes have contained their flaws and there were traces of anxiety creeping into their system in the finales of both games.
But in a results-based business, Cork will close out April, a month that always held a defining air to it about their 2026 hopes and dreams, on an upbeat note.
“If you told us at the start of the championship, after two games we’d have four points, we’d have been thrilled.”
For Ben O’Connor’s crew, that’ll do for a start.
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