Cork out-Limerick Kiely's men to seal final date with Clare

HAPPY DAYS, BRIAN HAYES: Cork goalscorer Brian Hayes celebrates after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final. Pic: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile

All Ireland SHC semi-final: Cork 1-28 Limerick 0-29 

On a wave of unprecedented momentum, Cork surf into Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

The two previous drive for fives were brought to a standstill before – Tipperary in 1945 and again in 2019 – but never in a semi-final.

It might give Cork some comfort that Tipperary on both occasions won that year’s All-Ireland but to be drowned by the tide of expectation this victory will generate would be a shame.

Topping a monumental second half when their first 10 shots at goal went over the bar will take some doing. 

It needed something spectacular to stop a truly great Limerick side that deserve all the plaudits that come their way in the aftermath of this first Croke Park defeat in nine championship outings but will privately prickle at the perception their time has come and gone.

John Kiely spoke of no regrets afterwards and pointed to his team’s inferior shooting accuracy. It was to their credit that they went out on their shields, cutting a seven-point deficit to two.

Wides by Shane O’Brien, Aidan O’Connor and Aaron Gillane from the 70th minute mattered, although the same could be said of Nickie Quaid’s save from Patrick Horgan a minute into additional time.

Nobody could put this defeat on Gillane, who put a mediocre finish to the Munster championship behind him with six points from play, nor the next generation of stars O’Brien and O’Connor. The truth was Limerick had left themselves too much to do.

Cork didn’t score from the 64th minute onwards when man of the match Brian Hayes arrowed over his fourth point from play. Their work had been done planting their flag in the third quarter, which they won 13 points to four. Limerick had been out-Limericked.

Cork were the proactive team, Limerick the reactors. Just like the dramatic penalty goal they mined in additional time in May, Cork’s restarts were incredibly quick. Declan Dalton’s sniper shots were exceptional but twice in that period Patrick Collins was able to pick him out unmarked.

Kiely recalled: “Deccie Dalton got one or two where he was just standing beside me out on the sideline as the shot was being taken by Limerick, and next thing it goes wide and two seconds later the ball is in Deccie Dalton’s hand and he’s got five, six seconds to steady himself up to drive it over the bar from 80 yards. Those type of incidents had a big bearing I think on the game.” 

Darragh Fitzgibbon of Cork celebrates after the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final. Pic: Daire Brennan, Sportsfile

In that first championship meeting, Kiely complained about the speed at which Collins was able to take the puck-out that led to the crucial penalty goal. Indeed, it was something Pat Ryan had bemoaned himself in the off-season but Kiely noted how it became a factor in teams’ play this year.

Cork will be facing a team in Clare who like to put the ball in play as soon as they do. 

They will have opponents who are able to blend the running and direct game too. If Collins’ puck-outs weren’t pinning back the Limerick defenders in the first half, it was the dash of Darragh Fitzgibbon and Shane Barrett that was reaping dividends.

Declan Hannon’s switch to the wing was an indication of the pressure being heaved on the Limerick’s half-back vanguard. 

Kyle Hayes was putting out as many fires as he could and Diarmaid Byrnes was coping but it was an onslaught and they found themselves seven back in the 57th minute.

Ryan was pleased that the team were able to take on Limerick in a direct battle. 

“The lads were very calm. We knew we hadn't got our puck-out going, we knew we weren't hitting the breaks hard enough, we knew we didn't push up on the man enough. Look, if you give Limerick space and leave them have easy possessions, they're just going to kill you. And they did that at times. They got some brilliant scores.

“They're a brilliant team, we all know that, but from our point of view, we just needed to be more in their faces and really go man-on-man on them. We did that a good bit in the second half. Most of the second half, really.” 

The inevitable Limerick fightback was courageous and it was their young stars that led it. O’Brien, Adam English and Gillane strung together scores to come within before Horgan and Hayes restored the margin of six. 

Gillane, O’Brien, English and Gearóid Hegarty roused the Limerick crowd but those late wides apprehended their hopes of hurting Cork like they had stung them in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Although they had it wiped within seconds, Cork were two points behind at the turnaround, 1-1 to 0-16.

They had belted into the opening 10 minutes, hitting Limerick for four points on the bounce after Gillane was off the mark in the first minute. Limerick’s puck-outs were not reaching their intended targets and Cork’s energy was proving a lot for their middle third but they began to knit together passes and were back on level terms by the ninth minute.

Cork pushed ahead again and once more Limerick came rattling back with a couple of points. Cork were a point to the good before they grabbed the first goal in the 18th minute. 

Byrnes had so much time to deal with a ball on the wing but Barrett won and provided it for Hayes to bulge the net.

Hayes was wheeling away from celebrating a second goal a minute later but Alan Connolly’s hand-pass was adjudged to be a throw and ruled out by Thomas Walsh. Hayes did however add a point and Cork’s advantage expanded to five.

Spanked into action, Limerick tore into the game and landed six points without reply in less than four minutes. Another goal opening came Hayes’ way in the 26th minute but he had to settle for a point.

It did nothing to arrest Limerick’s momentum. They scored three of the half’s remaining four points, but only one team appeared for the start of the second period.

Scorers for Cork: B. Hayes (1-4); P. Horgan (0-5, 3 frees); D. Dalton (2 frees), S. Harnedy (0-4 each); A. Connolly, S. Barrett, D. Fitzgibbon (0-3 each); R. Downey, M. Coleman (0-1 each).

Scorers for Limerick: A. Gillane (0-10, 4 frees); D. Reidy, C. O’Neill, D. Byrnes (2 frees) (0-3 each); T. Morrissey, S. O’Brien, A. English (0-2 each); S. Flanagan, C. Lynch, K. Hayes, G. Hegarty (0-1 each).

CORK: P. Collins; N. O’Leary, E. Downey, S. O’Donoghue (c); M. Coleman, R. Downey, C. Joyce; T. O’Mahony, D. Fitzgibbon; D. Dalton, S. Barrett, S. Harnedy; P. Horgan, A. Connolly, B. Hayes.

Subs for Cork: S. Kingston for P. Horgan (temp 34-35); E. Twomey for T. O’Mahony (58); S. Kingston for D. Dalton (62); R. O’Flynn for S. Harnedy (66); P. Power for P. Horgan (70+3).

LIMERICK: N. Quaid; M. Casey, D. Morrissey, S. Finn; D. Byrnes, D. Hannon (c), K. Hayes; W. O’Donoghue, C. Lynch; G. Hegarty, T. Morrissey, C. O’Neill; A. Gillane, S. Flanagan, D. Reidy.

Subs for Limerick: S. O’Brien for S. Flanagan (52); A. English for D. Reidy, D. O’Donovan for W. O’Donoghue (both 54); A. O’Connor for T. Morrissey (63).

Referee: T. Walsh (Waterford).