Top Cat Hogan denies Cork

AT half-time in this Allianz NHL round two game in Nowlan Park yesterday it looked like Cork were heading for another terrible beating.

Nothing along the lines of the humiliation two years ago, but at 0-10 to 0-2 looking like a debilitating defeat nevertheless.

The Kilkenny half-back trio of Tommy Walsh, Jackie Tyrell and PJ Delaney were lording it, the home crowd in full voice as they urged on their heroes. So, what wrought the transformation for Cork?

Well, the signs of a fightback were there since the introduction of midfielder Jerry O’Connor on the half-hour mark, which added a lot more pace to the Cork game. But the introduction of the mobile and athletic pairing of Cian McCarthy and Tom Kenny to the half-forward line in place of the towering but ineffective duo of Michael Cussen and Pa Cronin added bite to the Cork attack, and as the second-half developed, the Cork challenge gathered momentum.

The sending-off of full-back JJ Delaney in the 62nd minute for a second yellow offence, at which stage the Cork comeback was in full flow with the deficit down to just four points (0-12 to 0-8), really put the pigeon among the Cats, and when Patrick Horgan goaled from a penalty in the 68th minute, after a foul on Paudie O’Sullivan, to tie it up (0-12 to 1-9) the Rebels looked to be on an unstoppable flow, Ben O’Connor and Paudie O’Sullivan on song.

That Kilkenny stemmed what seemed an inexorable tide was due almost exclusively to one man – corner-forward Richie Hogan. Already he had been by far Kilkenny’s most effective forward, eight points to his name, but now he really rose to the occasion, grabbed the next Kilkenny puckout, scored a brilliant point to put the Cats back into the lead.

Back came Cork again, however, a well-struck Horgan free from wide left at the other side of the park, and as we headed into injury-time, this one looked headed for a draw.

Young Richie wasn’t done, however. In the dying seconds, and having won yet another Kilkenny puckout, he was brought down just outside the 45m line. With time practically up, knowing the game probably depended on this shot, and being barracked by a Cork player who wasn’t nearly the requisite 13 metres away, Richie coolly bent, lifted, and casually stroked over the winner.

Cruel end for Cork, but they had left themselves too much to do.

“It was a battle, let’s be honest,” said manager Denis Walsh; “We battled it out and maybe we should have gotten something out of the game but we didn’t – we have to live with that. I thought we played well enough in the first-half and kept the game tight. We probably misplaced four or five passes and they got four or five scores off them and the scoreboard maybe slightly gave a false picture at half time.”

Rose-red-tinted glasses there, definitely, because Cork were struggling in that first-half and it wasn’t until all the changes were made that they began to really ask questions of Kilkenny. Lessons there, perhaps, for Denis and his selectors?

“What I learned,” said the Cork manager, “is that we will be in contention in 2011 – that’s what I learned more than anything else.”

From the Kilkenny perspective, however, that second-half Cork display was no more than Brian Cody had anticipated.

“I thought the first-half was better!” he joked, “But it was a great contest. It’s tough going this time of the year, no fancy hurling, the ball isn’t moving too quickly. But it was a great game, a great contest, and we’re certainly happy to have won it.”

Grateful too, and to one man in particular, Richie Hogan, his point at the death especially but also the one before it.

“The previous score was an excellent score. He won a fierce hard ball in the sky, caught it and took off — it was an excellent score. He was very strong all day today, but so were lots of the others. Cork were really strong in the second-half, they came at us. It was the kind of contest we expected, a tough game right to the very end, a great game to get.”

A great game to win also, and now, with last week’s defeat of Tipperary, puts Kilkenny in very good position for the rest of the league. Cool for Cats, yes, but watch those Rebels.

Scorers for Kilkenny: R Hogan 0-10 (0-5f, 0-1 65); M Fennelly, J Mulhall, M Rice, E Brennan, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-6f); N McCarthy 0-2; B O’Connor, C McCarthy, 0-1 each.

Subs for Kilkenny: TJ Reid for C Fennelly (inj. 53); P Hogan for Tyrell (inj. 59); J Fitzpatrick for Hartley (61).

Subs for Cork: J O’Connor for Callinan (30); C McCarthy for Cronin (35); T Kenny for Cussen (35); C O’Sullivan for S Murphy (inj. 43); C Naughton for Curran (56).

Referee: J Owens (Wexford).