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Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rip-roaring Rebels return to All-Ireland final after Dublin demolition
All-Ireland SHC semi-final: Cork 7-26 Dublin 2-21 Initially, the All-Ireland semi-final weekend was seen as a great festival of hurling and some elemental matches took place, as teams fought for a final place. This evening in Croke Park was a bitterly disappointing shadow of such occasions. That's not to cast blame or aspersions on the teams. Cork turned up and did what they had to do whereas Dublin fought and flailed, trying to do what they could not – keep a lid on the relentless Munster champions and somehow drag the match back into the outer confines of a contest. Try as they did to stay afloat, the waves kept crashing down on them and as they splashed frantically for safety, eventually the boat on which they had set out disappeared over the horizon. This was only Dublin's third All-Ireland semi-final since they last reached the final 64 years ago. Achieved on the back of a sensational defeat of Limerick two weeks previously, there was a determination that they would substantiate that performance against the All-Ireland favourites. READ MORE For Cork, the purpose was to reach another All-Ireland final. They had probably accomplished that by the 12th minute after Brian Hayes set up Alan Connolly for the team's second goal, 2-5 to 0-4. Cork's Niall O'Leary tackles Dublin's Sean Currie. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho There was more in it for manager Pat Ryan, however. He brought back three players after injury and all made strong impacts. From the early minutes when Rob Downey thundered through the air to claim the ball, the captain was in dominant form. Little Dublin did threatened a reliable source of scores, whereas at the other end the Cork full forwards were back to their dynamic league form, plundering scores and building an overwhelming lead. So, high summer, another full house for Cork and the goals crashing in – the perfect mise en scene for the red and white throngs. Dublin weren't where they had been in overturning Limerick two weeks previously. A slight nervousness affected their play. Conor Burke, who had shot like a sniper from centrefield against Limerick, was relocated to centre back to replace the greatly missed Chris Crummey, who was suspended. Burke's first attempt in the sixth minute went wide and anxiety grew. Cian O'Sullivan, valiantly leading the resistance, opened the scoring with a point in the first 10 seconds and Dublin attacked with abandon but what became a trend was immediately obvious – getting the ball to stick up front was a challenge as Cork defenders coped comfortably. Another player returning after injury, Declan Dalton, who had been very effective a year ago when Cork beat Dublin in the quarter-finals, was again on form and opened his side's account with one of those howitzer frees he can hit from a neighbouring country. He went on to have a fine match and looked right back on form. Dublin's Cian O'Sullivan challenges Cork's Mark Coleman. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho The opposite was happening to Dublin. Many of the players who had made such an impact on Limerick, were struggling to get into the game. Two defenders were gone by the 20th minute: Andy Dunphy and Conor McHugh, whose display marking Cian Lynch had been so lauded but who looked to have picked up an injury. Two of the full-back line, which had resisted so manfully that day, Dunphy and Paddy Smyth were on yellow cards within the first 10 minutes. John Hetherton, who had terrorised Limerick in the air, couldn't get near ball to break it down, let alone catch. Cork moved and moved too fast. Diarmuid Healy and Dalton created a goal chance for Brian Hayes and he finished well. Fergal Whitely riposted with two points within a minute but they kept the scoreboard clicking rather than reversed the momentum of the game. Hayes turned provider for Connolly and two minutes later Tim O'Mahony had a shot that was deflected into the air for Connolly to come in and bat to the net, one-handed. Dublin appeared to stop the bleeding when Seán Currie within a minute had spotted Cian O'Sullivan unmarked across the square and the latter hit an unstoppable shot, 3-5 to 1-5. In the maelstrom of scores that followed, the margin was expanding. Whitely defiantly crashed the ball off the crossbar but Dublin's grip was slipping all the time. Cork led by 10 points at half-time, 4-13 to 1-12 – Hayes having scored his second goal in the 32nd minute after more good work between himself and Connolly. Dublin's John Hetherton in action against Cork's Eoin Downey. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho Dublin may have hoped for one of those zone-outs that have afflicted Cork after half-time but the bristling occasion and the high stakes drove on the Munster champions. They rode out an unanswered 1-3 from Dublin – the goal a trick play after Currie lofted a straightforward free into the path of O'Sullivan, who had made a run. He rifled it to the net. All it did was reduce the margin to nine points and Cork came back with 1-3 of their own. By now this had all the urgency of a training run. Dublin desperately tried to move the ball around to see if they could engineer another goal, whereas Cork kept scoring them. O'Mahony availed of a neat lay-off from Horgan and then had a second when he followed up a spilt ball. Connolly claimed another hat-trick, having been well set up by replacement Robbie O'Flynn in the 65th minute. Dublin will be distraught to have slipped into a stereotypical meltdown when faced with a top team at an advanced stage of the championship. 'We have to be better,' said manager Niall Ó Ceallacháin afterwards. Seven goals in an All-Ireland semi-final hasn't been seen in 39 years when Cork put them past Antrim. They may have wished for more of a test at this stage but semi-finals are for winning and there will be few complaints about such a rampant display with no injuries. CORK: P Collins; S O'Donoghue, E Downey, N O'Leary; C Joyce (0-1), R Downey (capt), M Coleman; T O'Mahony (2-1), D Fitzgibbon (0-3); D Healy (0-1), S Barrett, D Dalton (0-5, 2f); P Horgan (0-8, 6f), A Connolly (3-2), B Hayes (2-1). Subs: R O'Flynn for Healy (50 mins), S Kingston (0-2) for Horgan (55), T O'Connell for R Downey (59), Lehane (0-1) for Barrett (63), J O'Connor (0-1) for Dalton (67). DUBLIN: S Brennan; J Bellew, P Smyth, A Dunphy; P Doyle, C McHugh, C Donohoe; C Burke (capt; 0-3), B Hayes (0-1); R McBride, F Whitely (0-3), R Hayes; S Currie (0-7f), J Hetherton (0-1), C O'Sullivan (2-5). Subs: D Lucey for Dunphy (14 mins), D Power for McHugh (20), D Burke (0-1) for McBride (h-t), D Ó Dúlaing for R Hayes (46), C Ó Riain for O'Sullivan (67). Referee: J Murphy (Limerick).
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Nicky English: Weary-looking Limerick's errors allowed Cork confidence to flourish
The key phase in Saturday's scrappy but thrilling 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.
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Limerick's reign ended as Cork win Munster final classic on penalties
Cork ended Limerick's long reign in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship in the most dramatic fashion, winning 3-2 in the competition's first penalty shootout after an extraordinary final ended in a draw after extra-time. Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly netted penalties for Cork, and while Diarmuid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane converted for Limerick, misses by Barry Murphy and Declan Hannon either side of Patrick Collins' save from Tom Morrissey handed the Rebels their first provincial triumph since front of a crowd of 43,580, Cork midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon drilled over a '65 in added time at the end of extra-time to force penalties after 90-plus minutes in the Gaelic Grounds ended 1-30 to O'Connor and Shane O'Brien scored goals in either half in regulation for Limerick, with Shane Barrett raising Cork's green flag. Limerick, who were chasing a seventh consecutive title, now drop into the All-Ireland quarter-finals while last season's beaten finalists Cork progress to the last four. "Our fellas really dug in. It took an awful lot of effort over the last three weeks," Cork boss Pat Ryan told RTE. "We were embarrassed when we came up here the last time [losing by 16 points in the round-robin stage]. We had to get over Waterford [in the last game], which was a really tough game."I knew the lads were going to fight on their backs today."
Irish Times
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork end Limerick's Munster dominance after epic battle at the Gaelic Grounds
Munster Hurling Final: Cork 2-27 Limerick 1-30 AET (Cork win 3-2 on penalties) Cork are the new Munster hurling champions, an unexpected outcome that sent hordes of their delirious supporters, in a crowd of 43,580, on to the pitch at the Gaelic Grounds, as Robert Downey accepted the Mick Mackey Cup. Dismissed as having no more realistic ambitions than making inroads into the 16-point mauling suffered at the hands of Limerick less than three weeks previously, their understrength team rallied magnificently to confound the serial champions. It took penalties, a first ever shoot-out in a provincial final, to separate the teams at the end but by hanging on when it looked as if the champions had irresistible momentum in the second half and indeed after Darragh Fitzgibbon had seen their first penalty saved by Nickie Quaid, the new champions were well deserving of their 55th Munster title. The final was a smouldering, frantic affair, loosely refereed by Thomas Walsh, who went down with cramp in extra time and was replaced by James Owens. READ MORE It included an ill-tempered confrontation between the backroom teams at half-time, which will presumably attract the attention of the disciplinary authorities. Cork's goalkeeper Patrick Collins saves a penalty to win the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho After the near humiliation of the group match, Cork were viewed by many as akin to a political party, having suffered a landslide defeat and needing two more elections to catch up. Happily, hurling isn't politics and this match was completely different in its dynamic, respective performances and crucially, outcome. Although their bench appeared to compare unfavourably with the multiple All-Ireland winning opponents' reserves, it was the Cork auxiliaries who proved decisive, providing 0-6 of their extra-time scores, the lion's share from Shane Kingston (0-3) and Conor Lehane (0-2), who also hit penalties in the shoot-out. For John Kiely, it was a first defeat in 14 senior finals, spanning leagues, provincial championships and All-Irelands. Having posted a powerfully authoritative display in the group match, which matched their best efforts of recent years, this was a more fallible performance. They hit crucial wides when faced with the prospect of pulling away and winning a seventh successive Munster title, particularly in extra time when they looked a tired collective and even in the penalty shoot-out when their last three efforts were weary strikes. Limerick's Gearoid Hegarty with Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Cork brought a greater urgency to their efforts both in defence and in attack, getting pressure on Limerick and disrupting the smooth patterns that had effectively monopolised the previous meeting. They started with intent, opening a three-point lead in the first six minutes and even though they were reeled back in on many occasions, always responded either to equalise or nudge back in front. An attack that managed just 0-3 from play in the entire 70 minutes on the last day out had 1-10 from play by half-time, at which point they led by four, 1-14 to 1-10. The goals had spiced up exchanges, first Aidan O'Connor equalising 1-5 to 0-8 in the 20th minute after a pinpoint ball from Cian Lynch had given him a run at Eoin Downey. His batted effort beat Patrick Collins at the near post. Seven minutes later, a Cork attack ended with Brian Hayes, under real pressure, slipping the ball out to Shane Barrett, who whipped it sharply into the net, putting his team 1-9 to 1-7 ahead. Having regained the initiative, they pulled away by half-time. There had been fine individual moments, especially from debutant Diarmuid Healy, who would finish with 0-3 from play. Referee Thomas Walsh receives assistance from Limerick's Adam English after suffering cramp during extra time. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Limerick were unable to establish the same puck-out domination even with the wind in the second half, but with the half-forward line of Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Gearóid Hegarty, the Shannonsiders had their go-getters. It was Hegarty, who launched a quick free into the forwards, which Gillane got to and cleverly kicked the ball into Shane O'Brien. The replacement finished emphatically and tied the match at 2-13 to 1-16 after Cork had largely protected the lead in the third quarter. It went point for point for most of the remainder of the contest. When Limerick appeared to be making good the momentum of their goal, Cork kept hitting back. It was all hands on deck with points on the evening for two of their full-back line, veteran Damien Cahalane and Eoin Downey. Limerick lost the better chances. Aaron Gillane had a free before the end of normal time to win it but Horgan also was ready to fire a point when blocked by Kyle Hayes, who was less imposing on this occasion than he had been in May. It was the wides in extra time that really cost the champions. They managed six, some of them really poor shot selection, whereas Cork had just one, a free attempt from Fitzgibbon, who nonetheless had a storming match at centrefield, making up for his subdued outing at centre forward three weeks previously. Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon celebrates scoring a late point to take the game to penalties. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho It was who took on the final act of extra time, a 65, awarded when the usually flawless Nickie Quaid spilled a long-range free from the same player and it went out of play. It cleared the bar, wiping out Gillane's free for a foul on Cathal O'Neill, which briefly looked to have taken the champions home. Their manager, John Kiely, was unhappy at James Owens playing well over the allotted one minute of injury-time at the end but there had been stoppages within time added on. Finally, the dice were rolled with the first penalty shoot-out in MacCarthy Cup history. Diarmuid Byrnes scored first and Fitzgibbon fired his straight at Quaid before Gillane made it 2-0. But from then on the champions were curiously lacking in conviction and Cork seemingly energised, as they seized the day. LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, M Casey; D Byrnes (0-1f), K Hayes, B Nash; A English (0-3), W O'Donoghue; G Hegarty (0-2), C Lynch, T Morrissey (0-2); A Gillane (0-9, 7f), A O'Connor (1-1), D Reidy (0-3). Subs: S O'Brien (1-2) for O'Connor (42 mins), P Casey (0-1) for Reidy, C O'Neill for T Morrissey (both 55), D O'Donovan (0-1) for O'Donoghue (65), B Murphy for M Casey, D Hannon (0-1) for Byrnes (both e-t), D Morrissey for Hegarty (79), D Byrnes for Lynch (90). Penalties: Byrnes, Gillane, Murphy (wide), T Morrissey (saved), Hannon (wide). CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane (0-1), E Downey (0-1), S O'Donoghue; M Coleman, C Joyce, C O'Brien; T O'Mahony (0-1), D Fitzgibbon (0-4, 1f, 65); D Healy (0-3), S Barrett (1-3), S Harnedy (0-2); P Horgan (0-7, 4f, B Hayes (0-1), A Connolly (0-1). Subs: R Downey for O'Brien, T O'Connell (0-1) for O'Mahony (both 59 mins), S Kingston (0-3) for Connolly, R O'Flynn for Harnedy (both 65), C Lehane (0-2) for Horgan (70), N O'Leary for O'Donoghue (73), B Roche for Healy (80), A Connolly for Coleman (84). Penalties: Fitzgibbon (saved), Lehane, Kingston, Connolly. Referee: T Walsh (Waterford) replaced by J Owens (Wexford) from 73rd minute.
Irish Times
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Ciarán Murphy: Cork may be willing to lose the Munster battle to win the All-Ireland war
We were in conversation with Diarmuid O'Sullivan, John Allen and Jamie Wall last week, at a Second Captains live show in the Everyman in Cork City. We booked the three lads a month ago, when we gazed into our crystal ball and saw a town abuzz with Munster final anticipation, supporting a team on an inexorable march to an All-Ireland title – their first since Allen was manager, and The Rock was in his pomp. The conversation we ended up having was rather different. This final against Limerick coming up on Saturday? Ahhh... we could take it or leave it. If you offered me a narrow defeat with a creditable performance, I'd snap your hand off. Cork need to focus on the big one. Lose the battle, win the war. This seemed to me to be a masterclass in expectation-management, and not even within the confines of the 'yerra' punditry framework, although I suppose that is the point. If you're yerra-ing, and everyone knows you're yerra-ing, then surely that neutralises the yerra (I've already used that word far too often.) What I'm trying to say is that when they said a narrow Cork defeat would be acceptable, I did actually take them at their word. This is not what they'd have said a month ago, but the memory of that beating in the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th, when Limerick tore Cork asunder 3-26 to 1-16, has scarred them. READ MORE I think if you offered any reasonable Cork hurling supporter a defeat by three points or less on Saturday evening, they'd take it – Munster hurling final tradition bedamned. Expecting the gap between a 16-point defeat and winning an All-Ireland title to be closed in one fell swoop seems a little optimistic. In that context, a performance to build on is what the Cork public are looking for. Seldom has one round-robin game had such an outsize impact on how the rest of the championship views itself. Up until May 18th, Cork were favourites, but Tipperary and Kilkenny would not have feared them by any means. Clare sat that round of Munster games out, having surrendered control of their own destiny by losing to Tipperary the week before. But if they could ride their luck and get out of Munster, Cork would hold no fears for them either. The big question going into this championship season was whether Limerick could regather themselves having lost the chance at immortality last year. Our answer came in devastating fashion within the first two minutes in the Gaelic Grounds last month. Limerick manager John Kiely during the Munster Chanpionship game against Cork at the Gaelic Grounds on May 18th. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho When Barry Nash found Cian Lynch, and Lynch found Aaron Gillane, and Gillane found the back of the net, there were barely 130 seconds gone. The writing was on the wall early. Cork's full-back line was exposed there, and it would continue to be exposed. Rob Downey's fitness, or lack thereof, was ruthlessly pounced upon – and whether he is selected or not for this Saturday will tell a tale. But Limerick scored as much last year in defeat at the Páirc than they did last month – 3-26 was good enough for a two-point defeat last year, and good enough for a 16-point win this year. It would be churlish to suggest there aren't problems all over the field for Cork. What was most stark was the desire that Limerick showed. Diarmuid O'Sullivan said he had never seen John Kiely so animated on the sideline as he was that day. Given Kiely is never less than demonstrative, that's a fair statement to make. He's managed in five All-Ireland finals, and O'Sullivan has had a ringside seat near him on quite a few occasions as a Cork selector, so he knows what he's talking about. As much as there was hand-wringing over Cork, that was a key question many people asked in the aftermath of that game. How could Limerick care that much? How could they want it that badly? That is what marks out the great from the good. Every time they heard Cork described as All-Ireland favourites, it was a dagger. It would be absurd to think that Limerick want this Munster final more than Cork – they're going for seven provincial titles in a row, for God's sake. But that is nevertheless what you're left with. Limerick have their foot on Cork's throat now, and they will be loath to remove it. The team with the most naked desire for a provincial title this weekend must surely be Galway . A Leinster title would frank some of the progress that has undoubtedly been made since their spineless showing in Nowlan Park in the first round of matches in this year's championship. After that, it looked like being a very short season. They have turned it around to the extent that their fans will travel in expectation of a performance, if not a result. And it's been seven years since their last title too. In that space of time Kilkenny haven't been good enough to win even one All-Ireland, so that's far too long for Galway to go without winning at least a provincial title or two. The standard has not been daunting, and yet Galway haven't been able to capitalise. Galway certainly won't be pulling any punches this weekend. I don't think Cork will be either, but whether it's enough to restore some of the belief that has been lost in the last three weeks – that's another question.
