Old rivals settle for a draw

Cork 2-7 Tipperary 0-13

Cork and Tipperary, both already through to the final stages of the NHL, played out a highly entertaining draw at Pairc Ui Chaoimh as a point from Cork half forward Jonathan O’Callaghan two minutes from time saw the sides finish level.

O’Callaghan lobbed over a 69th minute free to level the game, but Cork might have sneaked the win had the full time whistle not been blown with Niall McCarthy in full flight and 70 metres from the Tipperary goal.

Diarmuid O’Sullivan, who was to play a pivotal role in the first Cork goal, saw his 60-metre launch forward sent over the bar by O’Callaghan inside the first two minutes.

Eoin Kelly answered back for the visitors from 50 yards out before scores from Paul O’Brien (0-2), Benny Dunne (0-2), Paul Kelly and an Eoin Kelly free saw Tipp reel off seven unanswered points.

O’Callaghan pointed on 15, 17 and 22 minutes, the second after a great feed from Wayne Sherlock, to bring the score back to 0-7 to 0-4 but Tipperary rallied once more mainly through the sure fire hitting of the Kellys, who were to end the first half with 0-3 apiece.

With the score at 0-13 to 0-7 in Tipp’s favour, the game turned on its head with two Cork goals in four minutes.

A long O’Sullivan free saw Sarsfields' Kieran Murphy claim the loose ball and goal for the second consecutive game on 32 minutes, and it was level pegging at the break following an Eamonn Collins' goal, at 2-7 to 0-13.

Blackrock midfielder Adrian Coughlan pointed Cork in front after the restart before two frees from Paul and Eoin Kelly handed Tipp the lead.

O’Callaghan’s seventh point of the afternoon levelled matters again, and the introduction of 1999 stalwarts Mickey O’Connell and Joe Deane onto the field were to prove crucial as the Leesiders nudged in front.

Paul Kelly hit over a ’65 with 15 minutes remaining for a 0-18 to 2-11 Tipp lead but John Gardiner (65), O’Callaghan and Paul Tierney all pointed near the hour mark to send Cork back in front.

Eoin Kelly hit over Tipp’s 20th point, and although it was cancelled out by a Joe Deane effort at 2-16 to 0-20 in Cork’s favour, Mullinahone forward Kelly won and slammed a 20-metre free past six players on the Cork line to set up a frantic finish on 69 minutes.

O’Callaghan held his nerve in injury time however to ensure the stalemate and ten points for Cork from this league campaign as 1B table toppers.