Dominant Cork open league campaign with resounding win over Waterford
Shane Bennett of Waterford is tackled by Cormac O'Brien. Pic: Ben McShane/Sportsfile
The healing has started. The scorching of opposition has resumed.
From the wrong end of a 15-point hammering on July 20 to the right side of an almost 15-point hammering on January 25, the competitive reign of Ben O’Connor is off to a bright and familiar start.
There wasn’t much competitive about this League opener. A crowd of 20,464 filed into Páirc Uí Chaoimh to see how Cork began the process of treating a gaping wound. No residue was evident here. Then again, not a single hard question was asked of the hosts.
Given the one-sided nature to proceedings - Cork’s lead peaked at 16 points on 56 minutes - we’ll not get bogged down in match specifics. Let’s look instead through the Cork line-up and who of the established and unestablished brought impression.
Deccie Dalton had chalked up 1-4 when handed early game-day retirement on 41 minutes. 1-4 was also the final tally of fellow inside member - and debutant - William Buckley. The latter was his trademark busy. Brian Roche was another found scoring well in the same category.
Tommy O’Connell’s work ethic at midfield complemented the more stylish contribution of partner Darragh Fitzgibbon. Hugh O’Connor’s debut off the bench included a point with his first touch and a later assist for a Mark Coleman minor.
Coleman and Rob Downey were incredibly assertive in the half-back line, even if the latter did temporarily depart for a second half black card foul on Reuben Halloran that Shane Bennett goaled from.
The red therapy flowed from the throw-in. So did the scores.
Declan Dalton opened the local account inside 34 seconds. It was the first of 10 Cork point attempts inside the opening 11 minutes and 35 seconds. All 10 delivered a white flag. Not a single miss. Space found at ease. The visitors chasing shadows.
Turning the page from traumatic 2025 finish to starting afresh in 2026, there was a strong school of thought that Dalton could be the most vulnerable for demotion of the five starting forwards from last year’s All-Ireland final. Dalton’s answer to that consensus was to strike four points in the opening 20 minutes and assist another 1-1. He tormented both Daniel Lalor and Conor Keane. The former - on his Déise debut - was whipped after only 20 minutes.
Dalton would finish the half with 1-4. We’ll get to the goal momentarily. Back to that phenomenal shooting Cork start.
The No.14 was responsible for three of the scores in Cork’s blink-of-an-eye 0-10 to 0-1 lead. For his second, Dalton raced out in front of two Waterford defenders, snapped up Darragh Fitzgibbon’s low delivery, and swung successfully over the shoulder.
Shane Barrett also clipped an early three. Among the other four contributors was newcomer Buckley.
Billy Nolan’s many early restarts were crashing against the Cork half-back line. Downey was utterly dominant.
Barrett’s wide four seconds shy of the 12-minute mark brought an end to Cork’s perfect scoring start. They’d add seven more wides before the call for half-time. Two of those belonged to designated - and new - freetaker Alan Connolly.
None of the wides particularly mattered. The half-time scoreline showed Cork 2-16 to 0-9 in front.
Dalton batted across to Connolly for a scrambled opening goal on 17 minutes. It shoved Cork 1-11 to 0-3 in front on 17 minutes. Their second arrived 11 minutes later. Mark Fitzgerald committed a black card offence on Brian Roche. Dalton dispatched the resultant penalty.
Waterford down by 15 points on the scoreboard and down to 14 men on the field.
Roche’s point on 34 minutes completed the set of Cork's starting six forwards. The Waterford scoresheet, by contrast, showed only two forwards on the mark, they being Jamie Barron and Reuben Halloran. The latter ended up accounting for 0-13 of Waterford’s 1-17.
The penalty he won, converted by Shane Bennett on 46 minutes, was immediately answered with a green flag at the far end. Alan Walsh to Connolly to Buckley.
To compound a dreadful outing on Leeside, Waterford’s Seán Walsh saw straight red in injury-time for an off the ball incident.
Cork, now unbeaten at home in the league across six games, have returned to emphatic winning ways.
D Dalton (1-0 pen), W Buckley (1-4 each); A Connolly (1-2, 0-1 free); D Healy (0-4); D Fitzgibbon (0-1 free), S Barrett (0-3 each); M Coleman (0-2); T O’Connell, B Roche, H O’Connor (0-1 each).
R Halloran (0-13, 0-8 frees, 0-2 ‘65s); Shane Bennett (1-0, 1-0 pen); J Barron (0-2); D Lyons, M Kiely (0-1 each).
P Collins; N O’Leary, D O’Leary, S O’Donoghue, C O’Brien, R Downey, M Coleman; T O’Connell, D Fitzgibbon; B Roche, S Barrett, D Healy; A Connolly, D Dalton, W Buckley.
A Walsh for Dalton (41); H O’Connor for Barrett (48); E Roche for D O’Leary (50); M Mullins for Downey (54); M Power for Daly (58); R O’Flynn for Healy (61).
B Nolan; C Prunty, C Keane, D Lalor; I Daly, M Fitzgerald, Shane Bennett; D Lyons, S Mackey; R Halloran, J Barron, J Fagan; J Power, S Walsh, C Treen.
J Booth for Fagan (8 mins); B Lynch for Lalor (20); C Lyons for Power (41); M Kiely for Booth (51).
J Murphy (Limerick).
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