Much ado about nothing

By Noel Horgan Saturday March 6th, 2010

Cork ......................................2-21

Limerick ...............................1-14



Apart from another brace of points, Cork didn’t take a whole lot from last Saturday evening’s National Hurling League clash with Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds.

They were expected to win the game handily, and they certainly did that, but it wasn’t a serious test, and it was impossible to attach any real significance to the form they produced.

Simply put, Limerick failed dismally to measure up, making it abundantly clear that, in the absence of the vast majority of the 2009 panel, they are going nowhere fast with a team cobbled together by beleaguered coach Justin McCarthy, who would have needed some sort of a decent result in order to prevent calls for his removal from gathering momentum.

It was a largely meaningless exercise from Cork’s perspective as they seldom had to move out of second gear to add to their opening round win over Offaly in the league.

Limerick, predictably, weren’t lacking in commitment, but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset their general shortcomings in what was never a true contest. They were on the back-foot from the moment Michael Cussen rattled the net for Cork in the third minute after Patrick Horgan had touched a Graham Callinan cross into the path of the towering full forward.

Cussen was to finish the match with 1-5 to his credit, and his opening point in the 12th minute was a superb effort from out near the left touchline. His other four were quite tasty as well, and Limerick full back Des Kenny could never get a handle on him before being called ashore inside the last 20 minutes. That Kenny lasted so long is a reflection of how meagre Limerick’s resources are at the moment, and, in truth, less than a handful of their starting fifteen looked equipped to compete at this level.

Lining out in a league game for the first time, Cussen is entitled to feel satisfied with his performance, and the indications are that he has what it takes to challenge strongly for a place on the championship team.

Much more will be revealed about his potential as the league progresses of course, but, even allowing for the substandard quality of the opposition, he certainly laid down a marker on Saturday night.

Of the other three Cork players –Ray Ryan, Mark O’Sullivan and Fintan O’Leary – on duty who have yet to start in a championship match, Ryan looked most assured on the left wing of a commanding half back line completed by Brian Murphy and Ronan Curran.

Curran followed up on a five-star display against Offaly with another polished performance in the pivotal slot, but it was Eoin Cadogan who earned the main plaudits in the Cork rearguard this time.

Flanked competently by Shane O’Neill and Conor O’Sullivan, Cadogan clearly had the measure of Limerick No. 14 Paudie McNamara, one of the few players available to Justin McCarthy from the 2009 squad.

Switched to wing forward towards the end of the first half, McNamara did pilfer a good point off Brian Murphy, but he was kept firmly in check again by Cadogan when he returned to full forward for the second half.

McNamara’s point made it 1-7 to 0-6 after 33 minutes, and midfielder Paul Browne quickly flighted over another to bring Limerick back within striking range.

As if to punish the Shannonsiders for their audacity, however, Cork hit back with three points on the trot before the break, courtesy of Cussen, John Gardiner, who was placed by an accurate cross from Fintan O’Leary, and Patrick Horgan from a free.

That was the story of the game really, with Cork displaying a facility to raise the tempo at will, and it was primarily due to an understandable lack of urgency at various stages of the contest that they didn’t finish more than ten points to the good.

They had moved eight ahead, 1-13 to 0-8, before Limerick substitute Thomas O’Brien beat the otherwise untested Martin Coleman with a powerful strike in the 48th minute, and they were leading by six when substitutes Cian McCarthy, with a goal, and Niall McCarthy added late scores which served to more accurately mirror the difference between the sides overall.

While Cussen did the bulk of the damage in attack, Patrick Horgan, although kept on a tight rein by Limerick corner back David Lynch in the first half, and Kieran ‘Fraggie’ Murphy also enjoyed fruitful outings in the corner forward berths.

Graham Callinan, a fringe player for the past few seasons, was the most experienced member of the Cork half forward line, and he got through a fair share of effective work on the left wing.

Mark O’Sullivan, while showing a few rough edges on the 40, and, to a lesser extent, Fintan O’Leary also paid their way, while Cian McCarthy posted a creditable return, 1-1, following his introduction for the last 20 minutes.

Tom Kenny and especially John Gardiner did what was needed to keep things ticking over nicely at midfield in a match that Cork were never going to lose.

Scorers – Cork: M. Cussen 1-5, P. Horgan 0-6, 0-4 frees, C. McCarthy 1-1, J. Gardiner 0-4, 0-3 frees, K. Murphy 0-2, G. Callinan , M. O’Sullivan and N. McCarthy 0-1 each. Limerick: A. O’Connor 0-4 frees, T. O’Brien 1-2, 0-2 frees, N. Quaid, B. O’Sullivan and P. Browne 0-2 each, P. McNamara and G. Mulcahy 0-1 each.

Cork: M. Coleman, S. O’Neill, E. Cadogan, C. O’Sullivan, B. Murphy, R. Curran, R. Ryan, J. Gardiner, T. Kenny, F. O’Leary, M. O’Sullivan, G. Callinan, K. Murphy, M. Cussen, P. Horgan. Subs: C. McCarthy for O’Leary, A. Ó hAilpín for M. O’Sullivan, N. McCarthy for Callinan, M. Walsh for Gardiner, A. Ryan for O’Neill.

Limerick: T. Flynn, D. Lynch, D. Kenny, S. O’Neill, L. O’Dwyer, A. Brennan, M. Carr, N. Quaid, P. Browne, B. O’Sullivan, A. Owens, C. Mullane, G. Mulcahy, P. McNamara, A. O’Connor. Subs: M. Deegan for Carr (injured), T. O’Brien for Owens, P. Harty for Brennan, C. Hayes for Kenny, D. Moore for O’Connor.

Referee: J. McGrath (Westmeath)