Anthony Daly: Hurling nirvana as Cork's new wave surges

Cork's Jack O'Connor celebrates scoring a goal. Picture: INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan

Before the match yesterday, I made my way down Portland Row, Kellie Harrington territory, and seemingly the centre of the sporting universe.

I wasn’t the only hurling supporter to meander off course to try and bask in the warm afterglow of such a magnificent sporting success before getting ready to be warmed by an expectant orb of brilliance and entertainment in the coliseum up the road.

The atmosphere was electric. Hurling supporters were getting photographs taken with the Portland Row locals, who were probably hanging at this stage from being up well before 6am, but they certainly weren’t showing it. As the Dublin lads used to say to me when I was manager, they were in ‘a jocker’.

It was just one of those special, special days. We were all so proud of Harrington’s achievement but, as hurling people, the pride was bursting out of every one of us — even Kilkenny people, I’m sure — when you witness that gladiatorial excellence at Croke Park. The All-Ireland semi-final had absolutely everything we love and cherish about hurling. It was a privilege to be there.

It was breathtaking stuff, with the tone, texture, and temper of the match oscillating as wildly as a tempest.

Cork didn’t have any goal chances in the first half, but they could have had seven goals for a finish. So could Kilkenny. How there were only two goals in the match was testament to the brilliance of Eoin Murphy and Patrick Collins, and an exhibition of heroic, last-ditch defending.

As the bodies wilted, the space opened up more and you always felt that would suit Cork’s pace.

Everyone talks about pace, and its importance, but you can’t really coach it. You can try, but the kind of raw speed Cork have is untouchable when they take off and catch fire in full flight. Some of the Cork lads, especially Jack O’Connor and Shane Kingston, honestly wouldn’t be out of place in Tokyo.

And yet, for all of Cork’s speed and class and talent, the most impressive aspect about this performance was their unbelievable heart and character and never-say-die attitude. In the past, we have all accused them — including myself — of lacking those characteristics, but you certainly couldn’t make that accusation yesterday.

This was a different Cork, and nobody typified that more than Tim O’Mahony. You can imagine the horror scenarios that were floating around his head on the way into the tunnel at the end of normal time, after he coughed up possession for Adrian Mullen’s equalising goal.

The world and its mother was roaring at O’Mahony to bate the ball down to the corner flag. When he didn’t, and then he hopped the ball off the turf to buy himself a few extra yards, it opened the door for Kilkenny to force the turnover. O’Mahony would have had to listen to lads telling him for the rest of his life that he messed up, but he banished those demons in the most emphatic manner possible.

His attitude summed up Cork’s. It smacked of, ‘Hi, that’s over, move on, next ball’. In the first half of extra-time, O’Mahony must have caught four high balls and drove forward with them every time.

Kilkenny looked to have all the momentum heading into extra time, not just for the psychological lift it gave them and the psychological hammerblow it landed on Cork, but
because Cork were playing a third game inside 15 days.

However, I’ve never fully subscribed to the theory that the team which gets the equalising goal in that situation is necessarily in the best position. They may think they are, but that is often largely governed by the opposition’s response and how their thought process is forming in the interim. That ball is gone. The next ball is the only one that matters. And that’s exactly how Cork responded.

Cork were defiant all afternoon. When they trailed by 0-6 to 0-2 early on, they rattled off five successive scores.

Patrick Horgan was instrumental in that scoring blast. There seemed to be an out-ball option for Hoggy throughout that half, but Cork didn’t use it enough. When they did though, Hoggy showed his leadership as much as his outrageous talents to drag Cork back into the match.

As the match progressed, Cork found a more fluent rhythm and some of their key players really grew and flowered, especially O’Connor and Robert Downey, and particularly Kingston, who was man-of-the-match after being introduced.

It was a masterstroke to leave off Shane. It will be hard not to start him in the final, but the move just reiterated the importance of finishing with your best team.

Kilkenny were typical Kilkenny. You’d want to have them bate out as far as Citywest before you have them done. I have no doubt that Munster is well ahead of Leinster at the moment but — I’ll repeat myself on this — Kilkenny are just an outlier when it comes to that argument.

They have so much pride in that jersey that they almost can’t allow themselves to believe that they can be beaten. If most teams were in the position they found themselves late on yesterday, six points down and time running out, they’d be beaten by 10 or 11 points. Not Kilkenny, especially when they’re managed by Brian Cody.

In hurling, a substantial lead is not really a lead anymore, no matter how big the margin. Kilkenny emptied themselves to bring the match to extra time, but they had nothing much left to give during that additional period.

For a finish, they were bringing on lads that they’d already hauled off in normal time. When Kilkenny were at their peak, the depth in the panel was the greatest symbol of their talent, but that depth is clearly no longer there.

Kilkenny still threw everything at Cork but, for a finish, they were just bombing the ball long and deep and were hoping that TJ Reid or Walter Walsh might catch a couple of those dropping missiles and redirect them into the net.

I thought Kilkenny could have put TJ back into full-forward earlier. He showed how lethal he can be in that position when catching one in the first half and setting up Eoin Cody for a goal chance, which Collins brilliantly saved. When they did put TJ back in, Downey was magnificent, but TJ looked absolutely legless at that stage. He was just spent. TJ is a magician, but I didn’t understand why Kilkenny were hoping he could run the match from midfield.

Cork were just better and, being totally honest, I’m delighted for them. I suffered so much heartbreak at the hands of Cork in the early part of my career that I never thought I’d have a soft spot for them, but most of these players have also experienced that kind of heartbreak and deep disappointment.

I fully appreciate how hard that can be to take, and how much guts and character it takes to break out of that cycle.

Cork have won nothing yet, but you have to admire the way in which they’ve gone about their business to get back to a final after four devastating semi-final losses since beating the Dubs in the 2013 semi-final.

Kieran Kingston deserves huge credit. His backroom team have also done a great job. I’m delighted too for Dr Con Murphy. It was heartening to see him going around the Cork huddle at half-time in extra time, offering his gentle words of encouragement. How good has Dr Con been to so many players over the years — including a lot of us in Clare and other counties? Dr Con has seen a lot of great days with Cork, but I’m sure this was one of his sweetest. He deserves it.

This was probably one of the best games of hurling I’ve seen since the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final, which Limerick won against Cork after extra time. Limerick will be favourites now in a repeat of that fixture in two weeks. but Cork are in with a serious chance.

There’s just one game to go now but, while Limerick will be fancied to win, the beauty of Cork’s win is that it has given so much encouragement to every other county.

Where would Cork be now if Tony Kelly had stuck his late goal chance?

Fine margins but when the finest of margins define a game like that yesterday, the outcome is hurling nirvana.