'If you get a chance to win, you have to take it' - Kiely's call that Cork shall not pass is heard

STARING DOWN: Kyle Hayes of Limerick, centre, and Damien Cahalane of Cork, 18, tussle during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A final match between Limerick and Cork at TUS Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

NHL Div 1 Final: LIMERICK 1-27 CORK 1-21 

The significance of this result in the grand scheme of things is open to debate.

Division 1 titles usually bode well for Limerick but the psychological blow they struck on Cork last month was possibly greater than the one they landed here.

Sure, to win a final against them at the same venue where Cork virtually ended their own 2025 season counts for something. Ditto how irresistible Aaron Gillane can be when he is in the mood and a reminder from their other serial All-Ireland winners like Diarmaid Byrnes that they are not yet finished.

Yet last month Cork had no distractions. Here, they had reason to be preoccupied in the closing stages as Limerick wheeled away having been up by a couple of points up to the 67th minute. An All-Ireland final repeat for a Munster opener in an away venue in just two weeks tends to command focus.

Limerick, on the other hand, could approach this encounter with more open minds. They have the extra week’s break to the counties’ next bout where they will face either an ebullient or stung Cork.

A second-successive final defeat to Cork in TUS Gaelic Grounds would hardly have derailed Limerick but you can imagine the emphasis John Kiely and Caroline Currid would have put on the result, possibly more so than the performance. Cork shall not pass. Not again.

“It was important for us, if we had the opportunity to win, to win,” said Kiely. “If you get a chance to win, you have to take it, and we had given ourselves a chance so I'm delighted from that perspective.” Limerick, like Cork, were patchy at times but the frequency of frees ensured the game, which was a few notches below championship intensity, never took off.

In total, 35 frees were awarded. A fair estimate would suggest a third of them won’t be blown in three weeks’ time. League rules play differently and the players must act accordingly. Undoubtedly affected by the stop-start nature, the game also lacked an atmosphere despite the 41,678 crowd.

Losing their league crown, Cork won’t be perturbed by the second defeat to their neighbours in four weeks. Ben O’Connor certainly didn’t wear a worried expression afterwards. “I’m always saying that we have a great bunch of fellas, we just have to do a little bit better and the margins are small, so a small little bit of improvement will repay us in the long run.” 

Gillane helped himself to 1-7 as Limerick pushed away in the closing minutes of normal time having seen a six-point lead cut to two.

Limerick's Aaron Gillane and Shane O’Brien

After losing his way a little towards the end of the first half, Aidan O’Connor rediscovered his marksmanship skills with three converted frees in the opening 12 minutes. The third of them sent Limerick five points clear and Gillane’s second point put them six up in the 48th minute.

Gillane’s third eight minutes later restored Limerick’s six-point cushion before Cork sprang back with three in less than two minutes, Hugh O’Connor, Tim O’Mahony and William Buckley with his third the scorers.

Gillane forced a save from Patrick Collins in the 64th minute. Diarmaid Byrnes converted the resultant 65 only for Alan Connolly to restore the three-point difference.

The new 30-metre dissent rule was utilised by referee Shane Hynes when Mark Coleman contested a free awarded to Gearóid Hegarty and Gillane duly capitalised with the free. Hegarty then posted a point himself and Gillane weaved his way to a fifth point to seal the victory for Limerick.

Limerick’s attacks were bellowed by the breeze in the first half. It was so strong it was a question of not whether they would be ahead at half-time but by how much.

Three points, 1-13 to 1-10, was a disappointing margin when they had been nine between the teams in the 18th minute. Gillane’s goal in that minute sent them 1-11 to 1-2 ahead.

The first six scores in the opening seven minutes were Limerick’s, two of them directly from Cork puck-outs. Byrnes rose above Darragh Fitzgibbon to claim another Collins puck-out in the seventh minute and sent it back over the Cork goalkeeper’s head.

Two minutes later, Byrnes erred when he inexplicably sent a pass intended for Nickie Quaid to Brian Hayes who couldn’t believe his luck as he found the net.

Limerick hit back rapidly with a Cathal O’Neill point. They twice led by six points prior to Gillane’s goal, a score so cleverly created by the Patrickswell man getting first to the ball ahead of Seán O’Donoghue and touching it into space to run onto.

At that stage, nobody would have predicted Limerick scoring just two further points in the half. Four consecutive Alan Connolly frees gave Cork a foothold in the game that they craved.

A couple of O’Connor wides from placed balls deflated Limerick and Fitzgibbon and Connolly (free) scored either side of a Gearóid Hegarty point.

Tommy O’Connell, one of Cork’s best, made a great hook on English as he attempt to unload towards the Cork net in the 34th minute.

Another Limerick goal opening came seconds later as Cian Lynch’s shot was parried by Collins. Hynes had played advantage and blew for it just before Lynch bungled the sliotar over the line.

A row ensued which saw English and O’Connell booked and the free was altered to a throw-in, which Cork won, O’Connell broke from and found Hayes to give the Munster champions a seismic boost before half-time.

The hardest slog was behind them but facing the wind Limerick embraced the toil that was required to protect their advantage. And capture their season’s second piece of silverware.

Scorers for Limerick: A. Gillane (1-7, 3 frees); A. O’Connor (0-8, 7 frees, 1 65); A. English, D. Byrnes (1 free, 1 65) (0-3 each); C. O’Neill, G. Hegarty (0-2 each); S. O’Brien, D. Reidy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Cork: A. Connolly (0-7, frees); B. Hayes (1-3); W. Buckley (0-3); T. O’Mahony (1 free), D. Fitzgibbon (0-2 each); S. Harnedy, T. O’Connell, M. Coleman, H. O’Connor (0-1 each).

LIMERICK: N. Quaid; S. Finn, M. Casey, B. Nash; D. Byrnes, W. O’Donoghue, K. Hayes; A. English, C. Lynch (c); A. O’Connor, G. Hegarty, C. O’Neill; A. Gillane, S. O’Brien, D. Reidy.

Subs for Limerick: P. Casey for C. O’Neill (temp, 32-ht); P. Casey for S. O’Brien (54); D. O’Donovan for A. O’Connor (58); E. Hurley for C. Lynch (67); C. Coughlan for D. Byrnes (70+3).

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

Subs for Cork: G. Millerick for S. O’Donoghue (inj 35+1); M. Coleman for M. Mullins (48); H. O’Connor for S. Harnedy (50); R. O’Flynn for T. O’Connell (62); D. Dalton for W. Buckley (69); D. Cahalane for R. Downey (70+2).

Referee: S. Hynes (Galway)