Four-star Waterford bury Cork in goals

A superb peformance by Liam Cahill's side secured a six-point league final win

2 April 2022; Carthach Daly of Waterford is tackled by Darragh Fitzgibbon, left, and Ger Millerick of Cork during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Final match between Cork and Waterford at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Allianz HL Division 1 Final: Waterford 4-20 Cork 1-23

Four goals secured Waterford a fourth Allianz Hurling League title, the Déise netting twice in either half to sink an error-ridden Cork challenge.

Waterford’s 18 goals during the League's round-robin phase was greater than any other county’s goal count in Division 1 and they continued to successfully hunt goals in this evening’s decider.

Ahead by 2-10 to 0-10 turning around for the second period, Waterford had a third goal on 48 minutes when man of the match Stephen Bennett sped away from Ciarán Joyce and finished low past Cork number one Patrick Collins.

This latest major moved the winners from five to eight in front, 3-14 to 0-15, and while Cork cancelled out this score with three points in a row from Robbie O’Flynn (0-2) and Patrick Horgan (free), Bennett and Curran points at the other end halted any Cork comeback that might be gathering momentum.

Another Cork three-in-a-row shrunk the gap to four - 3-17 to 0-22 - on 64 minutes, but the Waterford reply was as clinical as it was decisive, a Carthach Daly burst through the centre of the Cork defence finishing with a pop pass to the up to then subdued Dessie Hutchinson who struck for his team’s fourth and final goal.

The Cork goal, supplied by Robbie O’Flynn, arrived in the fourth minute of second-half stoppages. Mere consolation.

That Cork were in no way as threatening up front as their opponents is not what will concern management coming away from Thurles and heading into their championship opener in 15 days, more so a defence that was found wanting at crucial junctures in the game.

The difference at half-time was the two goals Waterford bagged within 50 seconds of each other in the 26th minute of the opening period.

The first originated from a Jack Prendergast pass into Mikey Kiely who was out in front of Damien Cahalane to collect before offloading to Patrick Curran who drilled a low shot past Patrick Collins.

The Waterford fans were hardly back in their seats when Stephen Bennett had the Déise following on their feet once more, the full-forward collecting Neil Montgomery’s handpass and forcing Collins to pluck the sliotar from out behind him for the second time in less than a minute.

The subsequent Cork response was both necessary and meaningful, two Patrick Horgan placed-ball efforts either side of a Robbie O’Flynn point halving Waterford’s lead.

Cork could have been even closer again had Waterford ‘keeper Shaun O’Brien not produced a fine save to deny a Shane Barrett goalbound effort shortly after Waterford’s second goal.

And the gap was back out to six when Liam Gordon whistled for the interval break, Jack Prendergast, Neil Montgomery, and Bennett’s fifth free of the half leaving the interval scoreline reading 2-10 to 0-10.

More than the six-point deficit, what would have greatly frustrated the Cork camp at half-time was the number of errors they had made in the opposition half of the field across the opening 35 minutes.

Kingston’s charges had four wides registered inside nine minutes, as well as another effort dropped short. Shane Barrett was twice guilty of taking too much out of the sliotar before losing possession, his half-forward colleague Séamus Harnedy another who was wasteful in his use of possession.

What it all added up to was Waterford leading 0-5 to 0-2 after 12 minutes despite having no great authority on proceedings.

Cork eventually got their radar in and their outscoring of Waterford by 0-4 to 0-1 between the 18 and 25th minute - Barrett, Harnedy, Horgan, and Darragh Fitzgibbon the providers - brought them level at 0-7 apiece.

But then, of course, arrived the Waterford goal rush. A further two green flags in the second settled the verdict.

In his 2020 annual report, Cork county board secretary Kevin O’Donovan wrote that “Our traditional indifference towards the competition might be worth reviewing”. 

Cork’s hurling or their attitude at Semple Stadium this evening could in no way be described as indifferent.

They were simply beaten by the better team.

Scorers for Waterford: Stephen Bennett (2-11, 0-9 frees); P Curran (1-3); D Hutchinson (1-0); J Prendergast (0-3); C Daly, N Montgomery, DJ Foran (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: P Horgan (0-10, 0-8 frees, 0-1 ‘65); R O’Flynn (1-3); S Kingston (0-3); S Barrett, C Lehane (0-2 each); T O’Mahony, D Fitzgibbon, S Harnedy (0-1 each).

WATERFORD: S O’Brien; C Gleeson, C Prunty, S McNulty; C Lyons, T de Búrca, J Fagan; C Daly, D Lyons; N Montgomery, J Prendergast, P Curran; D Hutchinson, S Bennett, M Kiely.

Subs: K Bennett for C Daly (54-55, temporary) Shane Bennett for Miely (57); K Bennett for N Montgomery (65); P Mahony for Daly (66); B Power for Curran; DJ Foran for Prendergast (72).

CORK: P Collins; S O’Donoghue, D Cahalane, C Joyce; T O’Mahony, M Coleman, R Downey; D Fitzgibbon, G Millerick; R O’Flynn, S Barrett, S Harnedy; C Lehane, P Horgan, A Connolly.

Subs: S Kingston for Connolly (HT); C Cahalane for Harnedy (43); J O’Connor for Lehane (48); S Quirke for Millerick (57); M Keane for Barrett (65).

Referee: L Gordon (Galway).