Late flurry points Cork in the right direction
A surprise home win looked a distinct possibility as Waterford clung tenaciously to a one point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining.
They might well have been even more securely positioned but for the squandering of their attack, and ultimately they were to pay the price as Cork put in a champagne finish with five unanswered points, three of them struck unerringly from play by the skillful Brendan Ring.
The Youghal clubman ended with a personal tally of five points, and with Patrick Cronin in the other corner emerging as their scorer in chief with eight points (seven from frees), the lethal duo played crucial roles in their side’s confident advancement to the provincial semi-final.
The Leesiders led by two points, 0-7 to 0-5, at the end of a tame enough first half which saw Waterford shoot six wides to Cork’s two. All five of those Waterford points came from Mark Gorman, but only his fifth was from play. As And with Mark Fives alone proveding a constant threat, their attack which made little headway against a tight marking Cork defence in which Brendan Coleman, Shane O’Neill and Padraig Cotter excelled.
The tempo of the game was upped several notches on the turnover, however, and with the standard of hurling also improving dramatically an absorbing battle royal ensued.
With Kevin Moran majestic at wing back for Waterford they began to apply increasing pressure on the Cork defence, and when midfielder Jamie Nagle clipped a real daisy cutter from 25 metres to the net in the 36th minute they were in front.
It was nip and tuck as the teams exchanged points, but it was Waterford who were still that precious point ahead at the closing 10 minutes.
The vision of extra-time loomed large when Carthach Keane landed a Cork equaliser in the 55th minute, but in the time remaining the Leesiders ran riot with Cronin pointing a brace of frees and Ring hitting three more from play to finally see off Waterford’s dogged challenge.
Scorers for Cork: P. Cronin(0-8, 0-7 frees); B. Ring(0-5); G. O’Leary, K. Canty, C. Keane(0-1) each.
Waterford: M. Gorman(0-5, 0-4 frees); J. Nagle(1-0); J. Quirke (0-2); C. Moloney, K. Moran(0-1) each.
CORK: K. O’Halloran; B. Coleman. N. Horgan. M. McCarthy; S. Olden. S. O’Neill. P. Cotter; R. Conway. G. O’Leary; F. O’Leary. C. Keane. R. O’Connell, P. Cronin. K. Canty. B. Ring; Martin O’Connor for Olden; S. Moylan for O’Connell.
WATERFORD: D. Ryan; M. Gaffney. J. Seward. D. Heffernan; K. Moran. J. Kindregan. T.
Power; J. Nagle. J. Mullen; M. Fives. S. Lawlor. M. Hoban; J. Gorman. M. Gorman. J. Quirke; Subs; C. Moloney for Lawlor; J. Kearney for J. Gorman; P. Hurney for Hoban.
Referee:John Ryan, Tipperary.
