Battling Tipp fail to halt Cork run

Tipperary 1-12 Cork 0-16

Indeed, that's all this was, as All-Ireland champions Cork maintained their unbeaten run in this year's National Hurling League in Thurles yesterday, but were pushed all the way to the wire by a fired-up home side in a moderately-entertaining encounter.

There was a reminder in the chilly breeze that we're not yet completely clear of winter, yet we got a foretaste of summer in the dry pitch, the bright and lengthening evening with the turning of the clock, as both sides set about their task before a disappointing crowd of a few thousand.

Cork started with ten of the 16 who saw action in last September's All-Ireland win; before the 70 minutes was up, Brian Murphy, Niall McCarthy, Sean Óg Ó hAilpín and Ben O'Connor were added to the mix, leaving just late flu-victim Jerry O'Connor and injury-hit Brian Corcoran out of the action.

All 14 looked sharp, Diarmuid O'Sullivan and Ronan Curran down the centre of defence particularly so, but what will have most pleased Cork manager John Allen is the performance of those on the fringes, guys like defenders Cian O'Connor and Graham Callinan, midfielder Kevin Hartnett, but most of all, wing-forward Neil Ronan.

This is the first season that a Cork management team has finally shown faith in Ronan. Allen and his fellow-selectors have recalled the Ballyhea-man and given him his head in every game in this year's league, and that faith was repaid with yet another man-of-the-match performance yesterday.

Seven points notched in a sizzling exhibition of wing-forward play, Ronan was majestic and is surely forcing himself into the reckoning for the championship 15, a point conceded by his manager. "I've already said it. If fellas are good enough, and their form is good enough, then the decision is taken out of our hands. That's the way we want it to be, that if someone comes who wasn't there last year, and is playing like he has to be on the team, well then that's the way it's going to be."

Other names will come into that frame, Callinan and Hartnett particularly.

"They played very well," Allen said. "Kevin Hartnett is with a junior club (Russell Rovers), obviously would find it hard to get enough high-quality games. I know he's playing college, but for him to get to this level is a great credit to himself. I'm very happy with him, he worked very hard for the 70 minutes, maybe ran out of steam a bit in the end."

Despite defeat, Tipperary manager Ken Hogan also had reason to be pleased yesterday. Right from the off, with corner-forward Eoin Kelly notching two frees to open the scoring, they took the fight to Cork, and never backed off. With Phillip Maher and David Kennedy anchoring a solid defence in which Hugh Moloney and Eamonn Corcoran also shone, it was level pegging at the break, 0-9 for Cork to 1-6 for Tipperary, but with most of those Cork scores coming from placed balls.

Tipperary could count themselves unlucky not to be ahead and John Devane's goal was a beauty.

The hurling was below full-bore championship intensity, below championship touch levels also, but entertaining nevertheless.

Tit-for-tat it was through a hard-fought second half, never more than two points between the teams, but ultimately, Ronan's accuracy was the difference.

"We're very happy," John Allen said. "When you come down to the home of hurling and beat Tipperary in a tight game, that's where it's at. There's no point in us going away from games like Wexford yesterday, getting a huge score but not learning anything. We had questions answered about players today, and that's where we want to be. We want good quality games, we had a good game today. I'd rather be in our shoes now than Waterford's (Cork's championship opponents on May 22), guaranteed three more quality games against three quality sides, where we'll learn something else, and that's our plan."

Scorers Cork: N. Ronan 0-7 (0-2 frees 0-1 65); J. Deane 0-4 (all frees); T. Kenny 0-2 (sideline); G. McCarthy, N. McCarthy, B. O'Connor, 0-1 each.

Tipperary: E. Kelly 0-7 (0-5 frees); J. Devane 1-2; T. King, B. Dunne, T. Dunne, 0-1 each.

CORK: D. Og Cusack; J. Browne, D. O'Sullivan, C. O'Connor; J. Gardiner, R. Curran, G. Callinan; T. Kenny, K. Hartnett; G. McCarthy, T. McCarthy, N. Ronan; J. O'Callaghan, K. Murphy, J. Deane. Subs: B. Murphy (Browne inj. 8); N. McCarthy (T. McCarthy inj. 44); Sean Og O hAilpín (Gardiner yellow 46); B. O'Connor (O'Callaghan 55); B. Barry (G. McCarthy 71).

TIPPERARY: B. Cummins; P. Curran, P. Maher, H. Moloney; D. Fanning, D. Kennedy, E. Corcoran; B. Dunne, T. King; P. Morrissey, F. Devanney, J. Devane; E. Kelly, M. Webster, P. O'Brien. Subs: C. O'Mahony (Curran inj. 37); T. Dunne (Devanney yellow 47); P. Kelly (Webster yellow 53); T. Slevin (King inj. 58); E. Sweeney (Devane 64).

Referee: A. MacSuibhne (Dublin).