Horgan pegs back Premier

A whopping 48 scores in thisfrenetic final round Division 1A Allianz Hurling League game in sunny Semple Stadium yesterday, Cork’s Patrick Horgan with a superb grab and smashing point in the second minute of injury-time earning his side a fully deserved share of the spoils after they had trailed by four entering the final 10 minutes.

All by itself the final scoreline tells the tale of this one; from first whistle to last it was open, end-to-end, point-for-point, two attack-minded teams going hell-for-leather for the win that would guarantee them a place in the league semi-final.

All academic ultimately, Kilkenny’s hammering of Galway in Nowlan Park meaning both Tipp and Cork are through anyway, where they will now meet each other again. They didn’t know that as the ball was thrown in, however, and anyway, regardless of what happened in Kilkenny, a Cork win would have changed the semi-final line-up to the Rebels meeting the winners of the Clare/Limerick Division 1B final.

Eight times the sides were level in the first half, at the end of which Cork held a slight advantage, 0-13 to 0-11. Old rivals they may be but this was modern hurling, applied science, possession sacred as both sides prodded and probed with long balls and short, looking for the opening that would see a player in the clear.

‘The ball is your friend, you must cherish it, caress it,’ is a mantra often applied in other sports; that was the philosophy on view yesterday, from both teams.

“Cork have perfected that over the last few years — we’ve been working on it,” explained Tipp manager Declan Ryan; “When it goes well it’s great, the couple of times it doesn’t go well it doesn’t look so good but I think it was a great game for the spectators. It’s a high-risk game.”

High risk it certainly is, players being a little over-ambitious at times and being let down by either their execution or their vision but as Declan said, it made for a hugely exciting spectacle.

From the final scoreline it might be assumed this was a game where forwards dominated. Well, no. Both teams had deadly finishers, Horgan (0-9, 0-6 from play) top-scoring for Cork, Pa Bourke (1-6, four points from play) doing the business for Tipperary, but there were plenty of others.

Noel McGrath had five sublime points for Tipp, John O’Brien (outstanding game) and the dangerous Shane Bourke had three each, Gearóid Ryan notched two, all from play; for Cork it was the deadly Conor Lehane (1-2), flying Cathal Naughton (0-4), teenage midfielder Darren Sweetnam (0-3) and two beauties from Jamie Coughlan, Paudie O’Sullivan and Pa Cronin doing tremendous work as providers.

And yet there were also heroes in defence, at both ends of the pitch. Full-back Stephen McDonnell was again magnificent for Cork, flanked by the tenacious Brian Murphy and Shane O’Neill; the half-back trio of Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, Eoin Cadogan and William Egan is fast developing into a fine outside line, while Lorcán McLoughlin was omnipresent, a mighty game. At the other end of the field, corner-backs Donagh Maher and Michael Cahill were excellent, as were Paul Curran and Conor O’Mahony down the middle, while Thomas Stapleton did very well on one wing, Paraic Maher his usual sterling self on the other.

No, this wasn’t bad defence, this was total hurling, precision hurling, a game in which every defender in possession is an attacker, every forward a defender when the opposition has the ball, and it’s a game that’s very easy on the eye, fully appreciated in Thurles yesterday by the 10,150 spectators.

The second-half wasn’t as nip-and-tuck as the first, Tipperary threatening to pull away after an early goal, Pa Bourke blasting a 20m free through a crowded Cork goal-line after being fouled himself. They went a goal clear in the 43rd minute, four points clear on three separate occasions thereafter, but Conor Lehane’s close-range blast in the 56th minute put the game back in the melting-pot.

Ultimately the draw was the right result, neither side deserving to lose. Of the two managers, however, Jimmy Barry-Murphy was probably the happier, his young colts proving yet again that they are the real deal.

“That’s exactly what we’re delighted about, that these players we’re bringing in are showing that they can play at this level consistently. We wanted to find out that during the League and it’s been marvellous from that point or view.

“Darren Sweetnam played 80 minutes on Thursday night in a local championship match for his division — he was just wrecked at the end, in fairness to the lad. But they’re showing a marvellous attitude, I couldn’t be more pleased with those players. I thought Lorcán was magnificent today — played himself almost to a standstill at the end.”

Scorers for Tipperary: P Bourke 1-6 (1-3fs), N McGrath 0-5, S Bourke, J O’Brien 0-3 each, G Ryan 0-2, T Stapleton, P Maher, J Woodlock, E Kelly, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan 0-9 (3fs), C Lehane 1-2, C Naughton 0-4, D Sweetnam 0-3, J Coughlan 0-2, P Cronin, J Gardiner, W Egan (f), 0-1 each.

Subs for Tipperary: S McGrath for G Ryan (35), E Kelly for O’Meara (48), T Hammersley for N McGrath (inj. 55), J Ryan for Woodlock (60), A Ryan for B Maher (70).

Subs for Cork: L O’Farrell for Coughlin (59), T Kenny for Sweetnam (62), J Gardiner for McLoughlin (69).

Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).