A week on from their revival in the summer season, Cork’s hurling team is teetering on the edge of making it to the All-Ireland knock-out phase. The squad managed an awe-inspiring performance in the second stage against Tipperary (Tipp), overpowering them with a 3-15 to 0-9 conclusion, thus declaring a victory by 18 points – the largest score gap in a championship since the Munster final in 1965.
The game, like any other, had its twists and turns. For the greater part of the first half, the teams were neck and neck, with Cork slipping into a slim three-point advantage at half-time. The spark in Cork’s gameplay came via Alan Connolly’s second goal just four minutes after the half-time break. Once Cork had gained momentum, they seized 1-8 in a phenomenal uninterrupted ten-minute streak.
Following this, Tipp was left with no answers, finding Cork dominating all over the field. Even Shane Kingston, a bench player, managed to bag four points from his first four shots in mere minutes. Connolly, demonstrating his knack for scoring, completed his third three-goal series of the season, assisted by the formidable Luke Meade, marking a gruelling game for Tipp.
The first section of the match started and ended with goals. Tipp initiated the scoring merely 18 seconds in, with Conor Bowe breaking from wing back. His shot, which was stopped but not cleared by Cork’s Patrick Collins, was scored on the rebound by Mark Kehoe. The game was characterised by a balance of ferocious offence and stressed defence, with abundant open space for each to manoeuvre. Both sides chose to use expansive passes and showed no inclination towards added safety measures. Rapid-fire shots followed many puck-outs, with the goal attempts in the first half alone exceeding 40.
Although Tipp held the reins for the initial 10 minutes, the lead switched sides frequently thereafter. While neither had control, Cork appeared more menacing but struggled to reflect this on the scoreboard. An early goal opportunity for Brian Hayes was expertly blocked by Barry Hogan, and a controversial decision at the opposite end arose only moments later.
Kehoe fell victim to a tackle by Sean O’Donoghue, close to the 20m mark and within sight of the Cork goal, although still outside of the large rectangle. While some may argue that it was expression worthy of a black card offence, referee Tomas Walsh initially deemed it worthy of a free kick. He maintained his judgement even after conferring with his linesman. O’Donoghue received a yellow card, which swayed Cork to bring Eoin Downey onto the field in a previous match. However, they decided to keep O’Donoghue, their captain, on the pitch this time.
Jake Morris showcased his skills on the flank for Tipperary, showing a return to his earlier form. By the minute 22 mark, all of Tipperary’s initial strikers had managed to score from open play. Despite having less ball possession than Cork, Tipperary remained a threat on the scoreboard.
Cork’s first half play wasn’t quite as dynamic as their performance against Limerick the week before. However, Darragh Fitzgibbon continued his fine form from the last match in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, demonstrating his commanding presence in the midfield once again. He had accumulated three stunning points by the interval.
The pivotal goal that put a gap between the teams at half-time was masterfully executed by Connolly. He managed to receive a pass from the remarkable Shane Barrett and aimed directly for the Tipperary’s net. He artfully manoeuvred his body to rocket a shot into the upper corner of the Tipperary goal. This score paved the way for everything that was to follow.
Tipperary squad: B Hogan, C Barrett, M Breen, C Morgan, B O’Mara, R Maher (0-1, free), C Bowe (0-1), A Tynan (0-1), E Connolly, J Forde (0-6, 0-4 frees), G O’Connor (0-2), N McGrath (0-2), J Morris (0-2), M Kehoe (1-0), D Stakelum (0-2). Substitutes: C Stakelum came on for Connolly during half-time; D McCormack replaced Barrett at 41 mins; J McGrath, (0-2, frees) replaced Forde at 43 mins; P Maher came on for D Stakelum at 48 mins; S Hayes (0-1) replaced O’Connor at 56 mins.
The players in the Cork team were P Collins, N O’Leary, who scored 0-1, E Downey, S O’Donoghue, T O’Mahony, R Downey with a 0-2 tally, and M Coleman. Other players included, E Twomey, D Fitzgibbon who scored 0-3, D Dalton who netted 0-1, S Barrett with a tally of 0-2, S Harnedy who scored 0-3, B Hayes with points of 0-2, A Connolly who scored 3-1 and P Horgan who contributed 1-9, including 0-5 frees. L Meade, who scored 0-1, came in as a substitute for Twomey during halftime. S Kingston, scoring 0-4, replaced Dalton in the 45th minute, while G Millerick replaced O’Donoghue in the 51st minute. In the 59th minute, C Lehane with a score of 0-1, replaced Harnedy, and at the 62nd minute, J O’Connor replaced Barrett. Fitzgibbon was substituted by T O’Connell at the 64th minute and S Twomey replaced Connolly in the 66th minute. The match was officiated by referee Tomas Walsh, who hails from Waterford.