Nicky English: Weary-looking Limerick's errors allowed Cork confidence to flourish
Munster
final was the 10 minutes before half-time when
Cork
recovered from a one-point deficit to outscore
Limerick
by 1-5 to 0-3. This gave Cork all the belief they needed; they had taken the champions' best shots and were still afloat.
That 1-14 to 1-10 lead gave them something to work with and reflected a change in fortunes. It was always possible that Limerick's comprehensive victory in the clash between the sides three weeks ago might take the edge off John Kiely's team and drive Cork on, but the Rebels couldn't go into the game expecting that to be the case.
Limerick settled themselves swiftly. In the first 20 minutes, Cian Lynch and Kyle Hayes were hitting the levels of the round-robin match.
But Darragh Fitzgibbon began to impose his game at midfield and Shane Barrett ended the half with 1-3 from play.
Cork now had something to work with
.
READ MORE
It was uncharacteristic stuff from Limerick, or at least stuff we're not used to seeing. Their established KPI (key performance indicator) – the 30-point mark – wasn't reached, but that has been a feature of their season. Only in the first match against Cork did they achieve that tally. At the weekend, they again fell short.
There always appeared to be something holding them back. I made a note in the 50th minute that Limerick were in control after the second goal by Shane O'Brien, but they went on to shoot some terrible wides. Instead of stretching away, they let Cork stay in it.
Damien Cahalane was an example of Cork's resilience. He hasn't been first-choice for a while, but he battled away and even got up the pitch for a score. He'd have been in trouble if Aaron Gillane's free at the end of extra-time won it for Limerick, but overall it was a brave performance.
Nothing highlighted Limerick's problems more than the usually ultra-reliable Nickie Quaid fumbling a ball over the endline for the equalising 65. That and the six wides in extra-time killed them.
Kilkenny will likely face Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final, which will be a serious test of their mettle
It all ended with a succession of very ordinary penalties that I had to watch back on video because my train was due to leave before they were finished. This just underlined how crazy the scheduling is. You could have filled Croke Park for the replay, so it represents a serious loss of income for the Munster Council.
There has to be a structure that allows matches like this to be played out and not have spectators running from venues into the dusk to catch trains.
Kilkenny's TJ Reid scores a goal in the Leinster SHC final against Galway at Croke Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
Many people had also left Croke Park on Sunday before
Galway
showed any signs of life. The late revival came out of nowhere. By the time Cathal Mannion had engineered a goal for Brian Concannon and added a point, the Tribesmen had scored 1-6 without reply and the margin was down to four. It merely served to wake
Kilkenny
up.
TJ Reid, still defying age and gravity, caught a fantastic ball and gave it back to Adrian Mullen, who scored a good point. For the next high ball towards the Kilkenny goal, Huw Lawlor reached into the skies and caught it before going on a gallop and providing a scoring pass for Billy Ryan.
The match was a pale imitation of the Munster final, but it was claustrophobic and intense and crucially, exciting. Hurling has largely lacked excitement this year. I'd revalue the goal to four points to try to inject some adrenalin into matches.
Kilkenny didn't convince me that they're contenders. They did what they had to do and Derek Lyng deserves credit for getting consistent performances out of them, but
that's a Leinster six-in-a-row
and they're no closer to an All-Ireland.
Kilkenny will likely face Limerick in the All-Ireland semi-final, which will be a serious test of their mettle.
A mention of the refereeing. I get the idea about letting the game flow, but rules are there for a reason. Fouls are fouls. From the throw-in on Saturday, referee Thomas Walsh appeared to be fighting a losing battle. He even had to jump out of the way of some hitting to get the match started.
Like a schoolteacher, he needed to crack down on that sort of stuff at the start. He could then loosen the reins a little bit later in the game, if he so wished, but only if he had control.
Rules weren't applied and I don't think it helped the match because it made the players anxious on both sides. The management teams were up in arms, as was the crowd. Clear fouls went unpunished and I don't think it helped anyone.
I would also implement some of the new football rules, primarily the clock and hooter, and take timekeeping from referees. Regardless of Limerick's complaints from Saturday, the innovation has worked well in football and needs to be introduced. The same goes for disciplinary measures on dissent and gamesmanship, which has had a radical impact on misbehaviour.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
9 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Rebel County gears up for All-Ireland hurling final
An All-Ireland final appearance is a coveted thing for a county to aspire to. It's not just about the match itself, which this year sees Cork and Tipperary go head-to-head in the hurling final. It's not even the glory and the celebrations that the winning county enjoys. But rather, it is how the mood of the whole county is lifted in the run-up to All-Ireland Sunday: it's like an injection of serotonin - it makes everybody feel better. The feeling is infectious and inescapable. The whole county benefits. Puffin Ward at Cork University Hospital is where sick children from across Munster come to get better. The children range in age from 18 months to 16 years. Every year, around 2,500 children pass through the ward and the 50 nurses, doctors and support staff are well used to making them feel as comfortable as possible. This week, the children in Puffin Ward were just as excited about the build-up to Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final as everybody else in Cork. Four-year old Ella Leonard from Kilcorney in north Cork might not have understood the significance of Sunday's final, but when the children in Puffin Ward gathered to make a social media video to show their support for the Cork hurlers, Ella wanted a piece of the action too. "What are they playing on Sunday?" she enquired, before showing wisdom beyond her years and replying to her own question: "I know, a Cork match." Ella was not gong to be denied her cut of the fun either. "I've already got a jersey - now I just have to get my hurling ball and my hurling stick," she said. There are some wise hurling analysts in the Puffin Ward too. "I think Cork want it more this year," declared 11-year old Shane Holland from Innishannon. "Last year they weren't getting as much goals. I think they're getting more this year. Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes are going for goals now." Puffin ward in @CUH_Cork with their now annual video in support of the @OfficialCorkGAA hurlers!! Hope the lads will have the Liam Mc in their company when they visit this year 🙏🤞 #updarebels #allirelandfinal @PaschalSheehy @echolivecork — Ciara O Flynn (@cnof83) July 11, 2025 Twelve-year old Anna Cronin from Macroom was also confident about Cork's chances on Sunday. "I think Cork are going to win this year, because they are way hungrier for it," Anna predicted. "They've been going for goals way more often so, on Sunday, we're going to win the Liam MacCarthy." Rua Pierce, 10, from Bishopstown in Cork city had a special message for the Cork hurlers. "I love you," said Rua, blowing kisses into the camera lens. Of course, there is a more serious side to the All-Ireland final too - Cork feel they have to get the job done this year, after they lost to Clare in last year's final. In a workshop behind his home in Kanturk, former dual star Aidan Walsh has been making hurleys for Cork's ace marksman Patrick Horgan for almost 15 years. Aidan revealed how "Hoggie" plans ahead - he makes his hurleys over a year before those hurleys see the light of day. Next year's hurleys spend 12 months in Patrick Horgan's garage, before they're put to use on the training pitch and finally in a game. "Hoggie's" hurleys are special. They have already helped him deliver three goals and 50 points in this year's championship, and a massive 32 goals and 679 points over his long championship career. Patrick Horgan's hurleys are not made to a specific weight. Instead, they are re-designed, updated and improved every time a new batch is made. "Every year we kind of make adjustments to the hurley," explains Walsh, who played both hurling and football himself for Cork. "Basically, it's nearly a round handle. It's very heavy: it's one of the heaviest outfield hurleys I would make for anyone, really. It's nearly goalkeeper weight - that just shows the strength of his wrists. "The one thing we do when we are making a hurley (for 'Hoggie') is we make sure the heel is as thick as possible. That's the reason why he's able to get such a great strike off the ball - his 'bas' is fierce thick. "At the top of the hurley, where they pick the ball, the side he picks the ball with is a deeper chamfer than the other side so, when he's picking the ball, his hurley is actually closer to the ground," Walsh said. "When he's picking the ball, he has a better opportunity to flick it, which definitely helps him. If you'd notice him, he's able to pick the ball so fast. That's definitely a good contributor to it." Patrick Horgan is generally regarded as one of the best hurlers ever not to have won an All-Ireland medal. On Sunday, Aidan Walsh is backing "Hoggie" to change that and come away from Croke Park with a Celtic Cross. "It would be well deserved," says Walsh. Back in Cork city, the conveyor belt of underage hurlers and camogie players is running on constant at St Finbarr's GAA Club in Togher. The club will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year and is one of the most decorated hurling and football clubs in the country. As the underage teams are put through their training sessions, everyone has an opinion on Sunday's final. "I think Cork are going to win on Sunday because they get lot's of goals, and because of Brian Hayes, Ethan Twomey and Damien Cahalane," says ten-year old Amy Bohane. "I think Cork will win on Sunday because they have the best forward line and they've great fans and all their players have played brilliant all year," says 13-year old Danny Fitzpatrick. Former hurler of the year and goalkeeper Ger Cunningham is also a proud St Finbarr's member. He's excited that Cork are getting the chance on Sunday to make up for last year's All-Ireland final defeat. "It's going to be a fantastic occasion," he says. "I know this project that Pat (Ryan) has been on for the last three years, they're probably a bit more down the line than Tipp, who have come this year with a lot of young fellas coming through. "I think we're entitled to look forward to it, and hope for the best and let's hope for a great occasion and a great game on Sunday." Hurling is reaching into every corner of county Cork this week. In the small north Cork village of Freemount, local songwriter Paddy Collins has written a song for the Cork team called 'Pat Ryan's Boys'. The song was performed in the local community centre by Kelly Feehan and her friends, and when the call went out this week for a crowd to come along, it was like the whole village of 250 people turned up. So, who's going to win on Sunday? Kelly Feehan looked startled at the question. The crowd behind her began to roar: "Cork, Cork, Cork." Thousands of people are expected to travel from Cork to Croke Park on Sunday. For those who can't make it - or can't get a ticket - Cork GAA and Cork City Council are creating a Rebel Fanzone for 'home' supporters at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The All-Ireland final will be shown on giant-size TV screens, and there will be entertainment before and after the game. This is being organised as a family-friendly, alcohol-free event and tickets - limited to a maximum of five per person - are free. Tickets are available online from today, via As capacity at the event will be limited, organisers are apealing to people to only apply for the number of tickets they will use. "Once again, demand for tickets for the All-Ireland final is unprecedented, and unfortunately not everyone will be able to attend Croke Park next Sunday," Cork GAA Chairman Pat Horgan said. "With support of Cork City Council, we are delighted to bring back the Rebels' Fanzone, which will allow supporters of all ages an opportunity to come together and support an incredible team from right across the county."
Irish Examiner
9 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Selector Declan Laffan explains how Tipperary turned the tide
Let's rewind to May of last year. Red flares fired from the middle of Thurles. Music blaring and brazen Cork throwing a house party in Tipperary's good sitting room. Declan Laffan is asked to reflect on the afternoon. An 18-point annihilation at home. The end of Tipp's season. Sombering. Deflating. Embarrassing. A collection of words thrown out by the selector to try and convey a most trying time for Tipperary hurling, the gamekeepers on the sideline, and the winless men inside the whitewash. The club scene eventually arrived and shifted the conversation elsewhere. The inter-county conversation never stopped for Liam Cahill, Laffan, or anyone else in the under-pressure backroom. The 2024 local championship threw in on the weekend, Armagh outlasted Galway to football glory. A few days earlier, the Tipp management met in the county board offices at Lár na Páirce. Individually, they had been in constant contact in the two months since their fifth-place finish in Munster. Collectively, though, this was their first coming together. Laffan remembers Liam having a very clear plan in his head and how he was going gung-ho after it. His 'strong character' wouldn't allow otherwise. They all bought in and signed up there and then. Whatever backroom personnel were required to add or subtract in the plan's execution, they did without question. Holding the wheel of the team bus for the two previous years, the onus was theirs to rediscover and recharge Tipp's identity. To once again make Tipp relevant in summer's hurling conversation. 'The responsibility to the jersey just wasn't good enough last year and that was really the driving factor of everybody together. It just wasn't acceptable, end of story, and we had to try and correct it,' Laffan begins. 'Let's be honest, that (2024) Cork defeat was particularly sombering. It really opened your eyes to what we did or didn't have. We were probably deflated in what we had done ourselves from top to bottom, and everybody wanted to buy in to correcting it. There were no ifs, buts, or maybes, if you were asked to do something, you did it. 'From Liam at the top to the last person in the backroom, everybody bought in and if it meant you had to stay two hours extra some night, you did it, and there was nothing about it. You just got on with it. 'We're reaping the rewards now. Being in an All-Ireland final, it's a wonderful place to be, but at the end of the day we've nothing won yet.' Everyone bought into the Liam Cahill masterplan and now Tipp are one game away from lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup. File picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile The improvements from last year's winless run to this year's run to the decider are easily identified. A cheerier collection of words are thrown out on this occasion by the selector. Tipp are 'fitter', 'stronger', 'mentally tougher'. Above all that, though, they are resilient. Limerick made several second-half attempts to put a smidgen of daylight between themselves and the Premier on the opening Sunday of Munster fare. Tipp delivered an answer each time. The then-championship debutant Darragh McCarthy held his nerve to deliver an injury-time share of the spoils. On 63 minutes in Ennis three weeks later, a first-half lead of 12 was now completely erased. More answers, more resilience. At the end of the third quarter against Waterford, they were hit for six points on the spin to see their six-point advantage removed. They won by nine. A deficit of players and a deficit on the scoreboard late on in their All-Ireland semi-final was another roadblock forcibly removed. 'People underestimate the value of that draw the first day against Limerick,' Laffan, a native of Loughmore-Castleiney, continued. 'That was a huge morale booster, and also it was a huge morale booster for the supporters because when you have support behind you it's worth an awful lot. It's great to see the supporters back in huge, huge numbers. Like, last Sunday week in Croke Park, it was 35,000-40,000 thousand Tipp people, which is phenomenal.' One game we haven't referenced under the heading of resilience Laffan is very keen to have included. 'I still go back to that Cork game in the championship when we lost by 15 points, the day Darragh was sent off. At the end of the day, we played 75 or 76 minutes with 14 men. I thought we were really manful that day and I don't think the players got the credit they deserved that day. 'A team like Cork were really in their flow that day. It's so difficult to try and stem the tide with 15, never mind 14, and I just thought we were so manful in the second half and really stood up. We started to see the character that this team had, and look, fortunately, it's carried through.' The local championship is delayed. The conversation remains fixed on inter-county matters. The conversation is positive, albeit a tinge of pessimism is to be heard here and there. The good sitting room has been reclaimed and repainted. It could well be asked to stage a Monday homecoming. 'I do be out and about quite a bit with work, so I do meet quite a lot of people, and the humour county-wide is really special at the minute. There's no point in saying any different.'
The Irish Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Ciaran Joyce reveals IRFU guru impact on Cork getting to All-Ireland final as he pinpoints ‘thing he's harping on about'
FOR dairy farmer Ciarán Joyce and his Cork team-mates, there was no point crying over spilt milk after the May 18 loss that threatened to turn their season sour. With a de facto knockout game against Waterford to come seven days later, there was no scope to do so either. Advertisement 2 Cork hurler Ciarán Joyce has opened up on their journey to the All-Ireland final Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 2 Cork will face Tipperary in the final on Sunday Credit: Ray McManus/Sportsfile video analysis of their Instead, a basic illustration of the frequency with which they squandered possession was presented. Therein lay the evidence that standards had been allowed to drop against a team they had beaten twice in the previous year's Championship . Joyce explained: 'There was a graph of how many turnovers we got in the game, and you could see every game. Advertisement Read More on Cork GAA 'You could see the turnovers against Limerick in 2024 and the amount of turnovers against Limerick in 2025. 'It was staggering to see how many turnovers were in each game, which gives us a representation of how hard you work . 'When you're looking at that, you're just saying, 'Jesus, that's how bad we were'. It kind of hurts so we wanted to improve on the wrongs against Waterford.' Not a single Cork player enhanced his reputation in the Munster SHC round-robin fixture at the Gaelic Grounds. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling But it was a particularly difficult day for Joyce, who was detailed to keep tabs on Cian Lynch. And for the opening quarter of the rematch in the Munster SHC showpiece, Lynch picked up on where he left off 20 days earlier. 'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal But on a day when When attempting to curtail a two-time Hurler of the Year, the presence of IRFU performance guru Gary Keegan in the Cork backroom team comes in handy. On the duels with Lynch, Joyce reflected: 'It's a big challenge. Advertisement 'He's one of the best hurlers in the country and I've marked him a few times now. 'He's very hard to mark. He can strike well off both hands. 'He's an intelligent player but I suppose after a couple of balls that came in, you just have to reset. 'You have to concentrate on the next moment because if you dwell on a mistake you made a minute or two ago, it's going to hang over you. Advertisement 'For the next puckout coming down, you just have to be fully focused on it. 'We do a lot of work with Gary Keegan. He does an awful lot of psychology work with us and he's always harping on about the next moment and the next moment. 'Even against Dublin , we felt that we were only playing for ten minutes here and there, which is the thing we want to improve on for the next day. 'It's a thing that we're always going on about — moment by moment.' Advertisement 'He's very good and you'd run through a wall for Pat." Thanks to their 20-point semi-final trouncing of the Dubs, Cork's next day will bring another opportunity to land an All-Ireland SHC title. And ahead of his appearance in hurling's showpiece fixture for the second year in a row, Joyce is being kept busy while working alongside his father on their family farm in East Cork. The Castlemartyr man, who recently finished an agriculture degree course at MTU, said: 'I love it. 'There are no days off there. He won't give you any days off. It keeps me grounded anyway. Advertisement 'I'll farm for the rest of the summer anyway and I'll look into maybe getting a job there at the end of the year. 'But in the future , I do hope to go home dairy 'That's the plan anyway. It's not conducive to training but I'm lucky now my dad is fit and healthy and he's able to go milking. But any time I'm around, I do go milking.' 'PHYSICAL STUFF' At a time when the demands of being an inter-county Advertisement And Joyce, 23, said: 'There's a lot of physical stuff. 'But I've been doing it since I'm a toddler so there's nothing that's new to me. A lot of people say you have farmer's strength from it. 'I find it's very good instead of sitting down in an office chair or whatever. 'You're up and about, you're kind of moving, so I think it's actually a good thing for you.' Advertisement Amid heightened local expectations as Cork look to end a 20-year wait for All-Ireland glory in Sunday's final against Tipperary, Joyce also finds farming with his father to be an effective means of detachment. He added: 'We try to talk as little as possible about hurling . He's very good like that too. 'He's a big GAA man and he realises that it's important to keep my eyes off hurling for a while. 'It obviously consumes a lot of my life so he's very good like that to kind of keep my head away from that.' Advertisement LEARNING LESSONS Now in his fourth season of senior inter-county hurling, Joyce will be in with a strong shout of claiming his first All-Star award if he carries his current form into Having been promoted to the senior job for the 2023 season, Ryan is aiming to make the most of his second shot at satisfying the county's hunger for Liam MacCarthy Cup success. The Rebels, remarkably, have not won an All-Ireland SHC crown since 2005. And Joyce said: 'We're learning and Pat's learning. Advertisement 'He'll say that himself, especially the backroom team. 'We're all always learning and he has his ways of coaching and managing as well. 'He's very good and you'd run through a wall for Pat. 'We've been involved with him now since my first year of Under-20s, which I think was in 2020. He's a great man.' Advertisement
