WITH CORK’S SURVIVAL on the line this weekend, individual battles will be a key part of their clash with Limerick on Saturday evening [throw-in, 7pm].
Only a victory will suffice to keep their 2024 championship on the road, a scenario that will not inspire much sympathy from the reigning Munster and All-Ireland champions.
If they are to pick Limerick’s pocket and inflict their first defeat of the series, they must prevail in the one v one scenarios. Phony team announcements and changeable formations make it difficult to make exact predictions, but below are the likely pairings which could determine whether Cork can manage an upset or whether Limerick will roar to a third straight win.
Darragh Fitzgibbon v Will O’Donoghue
Two-time All-Star O’Donoghue has been a driving force in Limerick’s All-Ireland four-in-a-row run, but his Charleville opponent will pose a worthy challenge on Saturday. Fitzgibbon has scored six points from play in Cork’s two championship outings so far, four of which were in the first round against Waterford.
His searing pace through the centre allows him to run at defences and create space for scoring opportunities. He demonstrated that twice in the first half against Clare. The first example was in the eighth minute when he ran onto a spilled puckout and fed the ball to Patrick Horgan, who won a free. On 26 minutes, he took a pop pass from Shane Barrett and sprinted through for a shot on goal which was saved.
Fitzgibbon secured possession from puckouts three times in the first half, scoring a brilliant point from a tight angle from one and setting up a long-range Ciarán Joyce point from another. His second point on 48 minutes put Cork two in front at a time when calm was needed as Clare were eating into their seven-point lead. He had two more crucial possessions in the final 20 minutes when Cork were chasing the game and needed interventions to maintain their pursuit.
O’Donoghue, by contrast, is less prolific in front of the posts, but he contributes greatly to Limerick with his workrate in a more defensive role. He racked up four possessions in the first 20 minutes of their clash with Clare, a period in which the champions were struggling to hit their stride. He also earned a free and intercepted a pass that was intended for Clare’s David McInerney. In the second half, when Limerick were six points behind, he applied enough pressure on Séadhna Morey to secure a sideline puck for his side in Clare’s half of the pitch.
O’Donoghue was lively in Limerick’s comprehensive win over Tipperary too, providing the assist for Peter Casey’s goal from a long clearance out by the sideline.
Seán Finn v Patrick Horgan
One of the best man-markers in the modern game versus one of the most lethal forwards.
Upon his return from a second ACL injury, Finn broke back into the team in the league semi-final against Kilkenny and was brought on to replace an injured Mike Casey in the first five minutes of their Munster opener against Clare. He seemed to be covering Aidan McCarthy mostly in that game, but came up against Shane O’Donnell at different intervals, often doubling up with Dan Morrissey to try and curtail the elusive Éire Óg star. McCarthy finished the game with 1-2 from play, but Finn is still clocking up game time to restore the form he was showing before the knee injury.
Alan Connolly has taken over as Cork’s main scoring threat, but Horgan remains a vital outlet as part of a two-man full-forward line. He failed to score from play against Waterford but followed that up 1-1 against Clare to go with his 1-7 from frees and two ’65s. It was one of his best performances of late. The goal, at the start of the second half, was a beautiful lob over the head of Eibhear Quilligan. Horgan was slow to start the game with two wides to begin with before winning a free which he converted to level the sides at 0-3 apiece after eight minutes.
That seemed to settle him as he picked his first score from play after gathering the ball off Shane Barrett and shooting the ball over his shoulder to leave the scoreline at 0-7 0-6 to Clare after 22 minutes. He produced a save from Qulligan as well with a short-range shot just before half-time. Horgan also showed leadership to score a goal from a free late in the second half when the game was slipping from them.
Seán O’Donoghue v Aaron Gillane
The 2023 Hurler of the Year will score against Cork this weekend, and it’s likely that Seán O’Donoghue will be the defender tasked with trying to keep the tally down. Clare selected Conor Cleary for that job who struggled with Gillane in the opening exchanges.
Gillane had two goal-bound shots chalked up within 10 minutes of the throw-in, the first of which was brought back for a free due to a foul by Cleary. Gillane almost had a third effort at a goal in the 11th minute after goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan mis-controlled the ball, and he finally did strike for the net in the second half. He had the instincts to wait by the post as Gearóid Hegarty approached from the wing and angled his shot into the corner. Gillane tapped in the rebound after the ball came back off the post.
Cork captain O’Donoghue has already encountered a big fish in this competition after marshalling Clare’s Shane O’Donnell. The Banner man came away from that contest with 1-1, as well as an assist for the Mark Rodgers goal which sliced Cork’s lead from six to three points in the second half. That score effectively launched their march to victory.
O’Donoghue got a vital block on Rodgers to prevent his second goal in the 51st minute but a foul on O’Donnell in the same sequence resulted in his dismissal with a second yellow card. O’Donnell grabbed his goal after O’Donoghue’s departure and Clare maximised that numerical advantage to seal the win.
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