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dethroned

Shefflin sees red as Kilkenny crash out of Championship at the hands of Cork

The Rebels led by five points at the end of each half in a thrilling contest in Thurles today.

Cork 0-19

Kilkenny 0-14

CORK HAVE PUT an end to Kilkenny’s interest in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship after today’s frenetic victory in Thurles.

A red card for Henry Shefflin late in the first half made Kilkenny’s task all the more difficult as the Rebels had roared out of the traps and by four points at the time with Patrick Horgan in fine scoring form in both play and placed balls.

It was Horgan who notched Cork’s first score of the game after six minutes, a free to level Eoin Larkin’s early effort and he was soon on the sheet from play after fine work from Daniel Kearney before tagging on another free just two minutes after his first.

Michael Fennelly was the driving force early on for the Cats and his pass to set up a Larkin point was followed up with a score of his own to level the match at three apiece. That, however, was as close as Kilkenny came to Jimmy Barry Murphy’s desperately hungry Corkmen.

Shefflin picked up his first yellow in the 10th minute of the game and was punished by the free. And when Tom Kenny intercepted a puck-out to set up Seamus Harnedy, the travelling Cork support could sense something special was unfolding.

Still, after falling 0-9 to 0-4 behind, Kilkenny looked to their generals around the pitch and Paul Murphy contributed a monster score from the right on 30 minutes quickly followed up by a similar effort from Fennelly on the other wing to leave the Cats just three behind.

Advantage

It was on the stroke of half time though, that the Cats lost the commander. Shefflin going in high, but not awfully hard, on Jamie Coughlan and taking on a second yellow. Horgan tapped over a free either side of that seismic shift to leave Cork with an 0-11 to 0-06 advantage at half time.

If there were any foolish souls who expected the 14 men to limp quietly up the road from that point, they were quickly put to rights in the dramatic opening of the second half.

An early penalty had to be retaken by Richie Power (who was later carried from the field) and the retake unleashed all hell on Anthony Nash’s goalmouth as he and his defenders combined to block three goal-bound efforts from black and amber jerseys.

Having survived that, the red shirts could only increase their swagger.  And though Brian Cody’s men never came close to ceasing the chase, with Conor O’Sullivan acting as the spare man, Cork managed managed to keep the now ex-All Ireland Champions at arm’s length for much of the second half.

Power and Tommy Walsh did get their side back to within three points ten minutes after the resumption, but with goals needed, the red jerseys were able to ride out the intermittent storms before pulling clear.

CORK: A Nash; S McDonnell, S O’Neill, C O’Sullivan; T Kenny, C Joyce, W Egan; L McLoughlin, D Kearney; S Harnedy (0-1), J Coughlan (0-1), P Cronin (0-2); P Horgan (0-11, 0-8f), L O’Farrell (0-1), C Lehane (0-2).
Subs: S Moylan (0-1) for McLoughlin (56), C Naughton for Coughlan (70).


KILKENNY: E Murphy; P Murphy (0-1), JJ Delaney, J Tyrrell; T Walsh (0-1), B Hogan, K Joyce; E Larkin (0-6, 0-3f, 0-1 ’65′), M Fennelly (0-2); C Buckley, R Power (0-2, 0-1f), H Shefflin; W Walsh (0-1), R Hogan, C Fennelly.
Subs: L Ryan for Buckley (HT), A Fogarty (0-1) for Power (57), TJ Reid for R Hogan (63).

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)

As it happened: Cork v Kilkenny, All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final

VIDEO: Henry Shefflin red carded in All Ireland quarter-final

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