Tipperary v Cork: Surely not the end for the rising Rebels

Cork built on a dramatic win over Limerick with a desecration of their hosts’ heritage.

Alan Connolly of Cork scores his side's first goal despite the efforts of Craig Morgan and Michael Breen of Tipperary. Pic: Brendan Moran, Sportsfile

Munster SHC: Tipperary 1-21 Cork 4-30 

Surely, it doesn’t end here for Cork? Not when it seems like they’ve only just begun.

For their hurling to end in May for the second year in succession on the same day they sent Tipperary hurtling out of the championship would be cruel.

They don’t deserve to share any of the ignominy Tipperary will suffer in the coming weeks and months. Not when Alan Connolly bedazzled. Not when they built on a dramatic win over Limerick with a desecration of the hosts’ heritage. No. It just can’t.

Just as it is right to laud Connolly for the third hat-trick of his season, it is correct to condemn another insipid Tipperary display. Their worst senior championship defeat to Cork, six points poorer than the drubbing in Thurles that precipitated Colm Bonnar’s exit two years ago, they are a husk of an outfit.

So Cork have to wait to learn their fate but it finally seems their fortunes have changed. For the second time in eight days, warnings to keep off the pitch fell on deaf ears. From early in the day, they had made Thurles their own and now their team had laid claim to the stadium.

That their and the players’ exuberance might count for nothing if Limerick and Waterford draw in TUS Gaelic Grounds next Sunday is unimaginable. But then Pat Ryan and his men knows all about tough breaks after last year.

For the second time in three games, Tipperary gave up after the concession of a second goal. Flatly surrendered. For one of the proudest of counties, that is going to sting, burn and bite long into 2024 now that their senior hurling has effectively ended in the fifth month of the year for the third time since 2018.

All the bad habits witnessed in Limerick last month returned. After Connolly raised a green flag for a second time, Tipperary waved a white. No mas. For hurlers of class and distinction like Noel McGrath and Ronan Maher, it must have felt disgracing.

There would have been no shame losing to a Cork team who rode high coming into FBD Semple Stadium but to wilt and shrivel leaves so many questions for them and Liam Cahill.

At under-age level, he and some of these players had the chance to make amends for a chastening provincial loss to Cork in the All-Ireland series. They find senior inter-county offers no absolution. When Connolly feasted on an injured Cathal Barrett to find the net in the 41st minute, the body language of his players stunk.

“The second goal after half-time really knocked the stuffing out of us. That was the one that opened all the floodgates. Cork are an exceptionally quick and fast team. They’re really coming to the boil now. If they can stay alive in this championship, they will have a serious say before the year is out,” Cahill reflected.

Leading 1-15 to 1-12 at half-time, Cork put an unanswered 1-8 on Tipperary in a 10-minute spell midway through the second half. The hat-trick, which followed back-to-back feats against Offaly and Wexford in the league, was completed in the 47th minute when Connolly was involved in neat one-two with substitute Luke Meade.

There was still time for Cork’s bench to get on in the act. Shane Kingston sent over four points and Conor Lehane added one. Patrick Horgan’s 60th minute goal sent Cork a whopping 18 clear, which turned out to be the margin in the end.

Tipperary’s start didn’t indicate they were going to fold again. The clock had only turned 16 seconds when Mark Kehoe had the ball in the net. Noel McGrath’s exemplary vision put Conor Bowe through and Kehoe poached on Patrick Collins’ save.

Cork were back level in the ninth minute with the third of four unanswered points. The sides were level on eight occasions in an opening half where each had their equal share of purple patches.

As Tipperary struggled to keep up with Darragh Fitzgibbon’s movement, Cork stretched into a two-point lead by the 20th minute only for the home side to hit back with three in a row, the last of them a simple puck-out fetch, turn and strike by Alan Tynan.

The directness of the game made it most appealing and Tipperary pushed two ahead on the half-hour mark when Jake Morris followed a Jason Forde effort.

Cork struck seven first-half wides to Tipp’s four but their finish to the period was terrific. Seamus Harnedy’s second point of the game was followed by Horgan’s fifth and then Connolly landed a goal that had all the hallmarks of a Ger Fitzgerald effort, riding the challenges of his namesake Eoghan Connolly and Michael Breen to finish beyond Barry Hogan.

As it turned out, he had only just begun to weave his magic. “We know we have potential,” said Ryan. “We’ve had potential for the last four or five years but just haven’t been able to bring it through.

“It’s about getting that consistency. Everyone can see that on a given day Cork can put in any performance. The really good teams the Limericks, the Kilkennys of the past, the Dublins (footballers), all those teams they performed – whatever the level is, it might below their level.”

Perhaps but it is rising.

Scorers for Tipperary: J. Forde (0-5, 3 frees); M. Kehoe (1-0); J. Morris, J. McGrath (frees) (0-3 each); G. O’Connor, D. Stakelum N. McGrath (0-2 each); A. Tynan, R. Maher (free), C. Bowe, S. Hayes (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (1-9, 0-5 frees); A. Connolly (3-1); S. Kingston (0-4); D. Fitzgibbon, S. Harnedy (0-3 each); S. Barrett, B. Hayes, R. Downey (0-2 each); N. O’Leary, D. Dalton, C. Lehane, L. Meade (0-1 each).

TIPPERARY: B. Hogan; C. Barrett, M. Breen, C. Morgan; B. O’Mara, R. Maher (c), C. Bowe; A. Tynan, E. Connolly; G. O’Connor, N. McGrath, J. Forde, J. Morris; G. O’Connor, D. Stakelum, M. Kehoe.

Subs for Tipperary: J. Ryan for R. Maher (temp, 32-ht); C. Stakelum for E. Connolly (h-t); J. Ryan for C. Barrett (inj 42); J. McGrath for J. Forde (43); P. Maher for D. Stakelum (48); S. Ryan for G. O’Connor (56).

CORK: P. Collins; S. O’Donoghue, E. Downey; T. O’Mahony; N. O’Leary, R. Downey, M. Coleman; E. Twomey, D. Fitzgibbon; D. Dalton, S. Barrett, S. Harnedy; P. Horgan, B. Hayes.

Subs for Cork: L. Meade for E. Twomey (temp, 32-ft); S. Kingston for D. Dalton (45); G. Millerick for S. O’Donoghue (52); C. Lehane for S. Harnedy (60); J. O’Connor for S. Barrett (62); T. O’Connell for D. Fitzgibbon (65); S. Twomey for A. Connolly (67).

Referee: T. Walsh (Waterford).