Cork surge late to pip Clare and earn first win for Ben O'Connor
Cork’s Colm McCarthy with Cathal Malone of Clare during the Munster SHL clash in Mallow. Pic: ©INPHO/Natasha Barton
A late surge in Mallow on Monday night enabled Cork secure a dramatic one-point victory over Clare in round 2 of the Co-Op Superstores Munster Senior Hurling League. Trailing by five points with nine minutes of regulation remaining, Ben O’Connor’s side outscored the visitors 1-5 to two points.
With the outcome hanging in the balance, 0-18 to 0-17, Alan Walsh won a penalty in the 59th minute after he collected a long delivery, the foul committed by Conor Cleary.
Ben Cunningham (who finished with 1-10), and despite a hamstring twinge he suffered a few minutes earlier, stood over the penalty and made no mistake burying it low to the left corner.
Substitute and free-taker Mark Rodgers then made it a one-point game, only for Walsh to clip over a point.
Rodgers nailed a 65 in the third minute of stoppage.
There was time for no more in this Group B tie.
Based on what he had just seen, new manager O’Connor said it is a tough task now to cut the panel from 47 to 36.
“Some of the fellas tonight have made that job more difficult, but that was what we were looking for.
“It’s not the nice side of it, but all the boys knew that when they were getting involved.
“Above all, what we were looking for tonight was what we got. It was nice to get the result but that was irrelevant. What we wanted was work, and work hard.”
The final next Saturday will see Waterford and Limerick lock horns. A draw would have been sufficient for Clare to go through.
“Leading the game all the way and then conceding the goal from the penalty is a bit frustrating,” Brian Lohan said.
“It was tough conditions in the second half playing into a significant enough breeze. We just weren’t good enough on the evening.”
The fixture marked the return of All-Ireland winning goalkeeper Éibhear Quilligan who underwent surgery for a knee problem in August, and while Fiachra Ó Braoin, Aidan Fawl, Niall O’Farrell and Senan Dunford were among those making their senior intercounty debut, the Banner starting 15 showed plenty of experience.
Especially with the alteration they made before the throw-in that saw All-Ireland winning captain Tony Kelly start instead of Cathal Malone - Malone was introduced at half-time.
With Cork out of the running (requiring a 29-point victory to qualify for the final), management continued to rotate, and they also gave an opportunity to third level players who were unable to line out in last week’s 15-point loss to Limerick. They retained six starters - Tom Hanley, Ethan Twomey, Ciarán Doolan, Jack O’Connor, Cian Darcy and Seán Desmond.
With the wind, Clare provided the opening four points from play through Jack O’Neill, Diarmuid Ryan, Dylan McMahon and Keith Smyth.
The accuracy of Cunningham got the Cork scoreboard underway in the ninth minute after Walsh was fouled.
Walsh was a serious threat in the inside line mainly through his aerial ability. A third converted free from Cunningham came after the Kanturk forward was fouled en route to goal by corner-back Fiachra Ó Braoin.
It wasn’t long before Senan Dunford got Clare moving again, his point in the14th minute started a run of five unanswered points with defenders Ryan and McMahon getting in on the act again, while Jack O’Neill pointed from way out the field to leave his side leading 0-9 to 0-3 after 20 minutes.
The margin stretched to eight two minutes from half-time as Seán Desmond scored Cork’s first point from play in the 21st minute after he linked with Douglas’ Shane Kingston, who was captain on the night.
The home side finished the half impressively with a trio of points from Brian O’Sullivan and Cunningham (2), but it was Clare who were in front at the break, 0-12 to 0-7.
O’Farrell restarted with a Clare free, but they wouldn’t score again for 13 minutes.
The elements proved to be a factor.
Led by Kingston in attack, Cork regrouped and at the end of the third quarter they had reduced the arrears to a single point. The Clare bench provided the next six points, 0-18 to 0-13.
Cork’s response was impressive.
Desmond sent over a beauty. Cunningham landed a free. Ethan Twomey came up to split the posts and Kingston fired his second, 0-18 to 0-17.
And they pushed for home.
B Cunningham (1-10, 1-0 penalty, 0-7 frees, 0-1 65), S Kingston (Douglas), B O’Sullivan and S Desmond (0-2 each), A Walsh and E Twomey (0-1 each).
M Rodgers (0-5, 0-4 frees, 0-1 65), D Ryan (0-3, 0-1 free), N O’Farrell (frees), D McMahon, J O’Neill and K Smith (0-2 each), S Dunford, T Kelly, D Stritch and S Meehan (0-1 each).
P O’Sullivan; D O’Sullivan, D O’Leary, S Kingston (Ballinora); T Hanley, E Twomey, C Doolan; B Keating, B O’Sullivan; J O’Connor, B Cunningham, C Darcy; S Kingston (Douglas, Capt), S Desmond, A Walsh.
M Mullins for T Hanley, J Cahalane for J O’Connor, C McCarthy for C Darcy (all half-time), G Millerick for D O’Leary (44), E Roche for S Kingston (Ballinora) (49).
É Quilligan; A Hogan, C Cleary, F Ó Braoin; D McMahon, D Ryan, A Fawl; O Cahill, R Taylor; C O’Meara, J O’Neill, N O’Farrell; S Dunford, T Kelly (Capt), K Smyth.
D Stritch for C O’Meara, C Malone for O Cahill (both half-time), R Hayes for A Hogan (40), M Rodgers for S Dunford, S Meehan for K Smyth (both 45), D Lohan for T Kelly (55).
Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
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