Star Wars II: revenge of the Rebels

IT’S rapidly becoming one of the GAA’s most riveting rivalries. Last year Waterford dethroned Cork as Munster champions in a hurling classic at Semple Stadium.

Yesterday, Cork returned the favour in a game of 36 scores and countless talking points.

These Munster rivals don’t do dour.

A whiff of revenge hung over Thurles for Cork fans - Waterford were the only county to defeat them en route to the All-Ireland title last year.

Staring down the barrel of a five-point deficit, Cork turned to war veteran Brian Corcoran to dig them out of trouble in the second half.

Afterwards his colleagues paid homage: “His goal was a huge turning-point, as was his point afterwards over by the stand, an amazing score. He’s a legend in Cork, everyone in the team looks up to him,” said fellow attacker Joe Deane, who grabbed the other goal in Cork’s 2-17 to 2-15 victory.

The Rebels will meet Tipperary or Clare in the Munster final next month.

Tyrone also turned to their wise old own yesterday, introducing Peter Canavan as a second-half substitute to douse Down’s Ulster SFC defiance in Omagh. Pragmatism reigned.

There was a hint of summer romance in Carrick-on-Shannon as tiny Leitrim claimed a rare Connacht Championship victory over Sligo, but there was none at Carton House as another Nissan Irish Open came and went without an Irish winner.

The 38-year-old Welshman Stephen Dodd was crowned Open champion, but just about everybody’s heart went out to England’s David Howell, the loser in a play-off for the second successive week.

Irish hearts were also breaking as the Scottish football season climaxed in a flurry of late goals which snatched the Premier Division title from Celtic’s grasp.

The Glasgow Bhoys were two minutes from another title when a brace of Motherwell goals handed the trophy to Rangers, who believed their 1-0 victory over Hibernian would be in vain.