Anthony Daly: A magic night... can resurgent Rebels now repeat the trick? 

If Cork and Limerick hadn’t played out such a classic, this weekend would have been all about Carlow, who drew with Kilkenny.

EPIC BATTLE: Cork overcoming Limerick after an epic battle down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh is what makes hurling exciting.  Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Magic. Pure magic. Where else would you get it? Where else would you see it? I don’t care how biased I appear, I make no apologies for saying it – nothing compares to hurling. If you compiled all the drama, excitement and entertainment from four soccer and four rugby matches combined, you still wouldn’t put together a better piece of theatre than what we witnessed in Cork on Saturday. Magic. Just sheer magic.

It was an incredible thriller, there’s no other way to describe it. Cork were electric in the first half, when Limerick looked in serious trouble. Then Limerick put on the squeeze, as only they can, and looked to be in a position where they have become so comfortable. You were saying, ‘This crowd can’t be beaten, they won’t be beaten.’ And then, they were.