Cork bounce back to beat Waterford and book Munster final spot

The Déise's championship comes to an end after a battling display on Leeside. 

TANGLED UP IN BLUE: Cork players Seán O’Donoghue and Eoin Downey tussle with Waterford players Dessie Hutchinson, left, and Michael Kiely. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

CORK 2-25 WATERFORD 1-22 

There are no pictures on a scoreboard and Cork won’t want much photographic evidence of this workmanlike effort as much as they qualified for a first Munster final in seven years.

The performance was only decent, the result was required as much as it was pretty hairy in the final quarter thanks to a brave Waterford effort led by their record championship scorer Stephen Bennett.

Sixteen wides for Cork on a blustery afternoon in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh told a story as did the fact they were eight points up with 20 minutes to go and were dragged into an arm-wrestle by the Déise. It simply won't do in Limerick on Saturday week.

And yet Waterford’s jrweaugular had been in Cork’s crosshairs at the start of the second half. Impressively a point ahead after facing the wind in the opening period (0-13 to 0-12), Brian Hayes flicked in the first goal of the game seconds after the restart. Tim O’Mahony hunted down Paddy Leavey, turned him over and supplied Darragh Fitzgibbon who handpassed to Hayes and with one hand on the hurley he did the rest.

After a Patrick Horgan free, Waterford responded with a brace of points before Shane Barrett sprayed a goal chance wide of the mark in the 40th minute. A second goal did arrive in the 49th minute when Hayes broke down a ball and provided Horgan on his outside and the Glen Rovers man arrowed the sliotar passed Billy Nolan’s far side.

That green flag sent Cork six clear and for good measure the brilliant Hayes and Barrett added two further points but Waterford weren’t done for yet. Dessie Hutchinson came off the bench to point and then Stephen Bennett beavered a goal in the 58th minute. Seconds later, he struck the butt of the post as Cork’s full-back line panicked. Jack Prendergast followed up at least with a point and the margin was three.

Cue a time for cool heads and in Darragh Fitzgibbon with his first point and substitute Shane Kingston with his first offering Cork had them. Yet three of the next four points were Stephen Bennett frees and with over a minute of normal time to go the gap was three.

Diarmuid Healy showed a clean pair of heels to point and Cormac O’Brien landed one from distance to ease the tensions. With Horgan having been replaced, it was left to Fitzgibbon to land a securing free prior to Bennett finishing out the game’s scoring.

Waterford must have felt like they secured a victory before a ball was pucked when team captain Conor Prunty won the toss and opted for his side to be backed by the gale in the first half.

They would have to be ahead at half-time and after 10 minutes 0-5 to 0-1 up they looked well on their way to their way to that objective. Three of their attack were off the mark and unusually none of them included Jamie Barron and Bennett, who so much they have rested on for scores this year.

Cork settled into the game with a hat-trick of points. Mark Coleman was followed by Hayes and Horgan converted his second free. Another threepeat followed a Mikey Kiely effort and Cork were 0-7 to 0-6 up after 19 minutes.

That Cork finished the half with more wides than Waterford spoke of their superiority in general play when Waterford would have been encouraged to shoot on sight with the wind. The teams were level six times in the remainder of the half prior to the second of two Alan Connolly points giving Cork a crucial advantage at the break.

Waterford’s Darragh Lyons was fortunate to avoid a yellow card for making contact with Shane Barrett’s helmet.

Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (1-8, 0-8 frees); B. Hayes (1-1); S. Harnedy, S. Barrett, A. Connolly (0-3 each); D. Fitzgibbon (0-2, 1 free); M. Coleman, S. Kingston, C. Lehane, D. Healy, C. O’Brien (0-1 each).

Scorers for Waterford: S. Bennett (1-7, 0-7 frees); S. Walsh, P. Fitzgerald (0-3 each); M. Kiely, J. Prendergast (0-2 each); B. Nolan (free), M. Fitzgerald, J. Barron, K. Bennett, D. Hutchinson (0-1 each).

CORK: P. Collins; S. O’Donoghue, E. Downey, G. Millerick; M. Coleman, C. Joyce, C. O’Brien; T. O’Mahony, D. Fitzgibbon; B. Roche, S. Barrett (c), S. Harnedy; A. Connolly, B. Hayes, P. Horgan.

Subs for Cork: D. Healy for B. Roche (48); L. Meade for T. O’Mahony (60); S. Kingston for A. Connolly (62); D. Cahalane for G. Millerick (temp 63-ft); C. Lehane for P. Horgan (70+3); T. O’Connell for C. O’Brien (70+5).

WATERFORD: B. Nolan; I. Kenny, C. Prunty (c), G. Fives; T. de Búrca, M. Fitzgerald, K. Bennett; D. Lyons, P. Leavey; M. Kiely, J. Barron, J. Prendergast; S. Bennett, S. Walsh, P. Fitzgerald.

Subs for Waterford: D. Hutchinson for P. Leavey (41); K. Mahony for P. Fitzgerald (51); Shane Bennett for D. Lyons (52); A. Gleeson for S. Walsh (60).

Referee: J. Murphy (Limerick)