10 facts that haunt the Cork hurlers

Leaving Semple Stadium around 8.30pm on Sunday, the scoreboards at the Killinan and Town Ends still carried news of the day. They in themselves were damning enough of Cork’s performance but when put into context their display becomes a whole lot worse.

Joint-lowest championship score in 20 years

Their total on Sunday was one point worse than their 1-11 score in that forgettable 2014 All-Ireland semi-final loss to Tipperary, two points poorer than their 2013 Munster final loss to Limerick when they harshly lost Pa Horgan to a sending off. It matched their 0-13 score in going down so heavily to Clare in the 1998 Munster quarter-final as well as their 1999 All-Ireland final winning total in the heavy rain against Kilkenny. Their 2002 qualifier defeat to Galway when they put up 1-9 remains their worst return these last 20 years. Before that, the miserable 1-8 offering against Limerick have they troubled the scoreboard so little. Sunday was their lowest SHC score against Tipperary going back to the 1973 Munster semi-final when they again managed 1-10.