TWO in the bag, one to go. League and Munster champions, an All-Ireland waiting to be won. The Cork hurlers have done all we expected of them this season but it wasn’t the destination that thrilled us, it was the journey so far.
Of course, the scenes in Limerick on Saturday evening, as the dramatic penalty shoot-out ended and the Cork hordes invaded the pitch, had to be seen to be believed.
Those same supporters have been taken on a roller-coaster of a ride by the Cork hurlers over the last six months. Ups and downs. Highs and lows. Winning the league final by playing class hurling at tremendous pace and top-class skills. The Munster championship had a bit of everything. The draw with Clare. Beating 14-man Tipperary. Then the mauling from Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds, a 16-point loss that was a slap of reality. Cork’s response was a less-than-convincing win against Waterford that set up a final showdown against Limerick in their backyard.
In truth, how many gave Cork a chance of closing the 16-point gap that Limerick had opened between the sides the first day? Which Cork would turn up was the big question – the Cork of the superb late league form or the Cork of the Limerick hammering? Well, now we know.
This was the Cork we all wanted to see, a Cork team that came to do battle
This was the Cork we all wanted to see, a Cork team that came to do battle and relished the challenge. The luck of the toss gave us wind advantage and even though it was not shown on the scoreboard, it did help the players to settle from the start. What a difference from the first day. Cork battled, they fought, they harassed, they hunted, they threw themselves into a real contest. Not a backward step.
Closing down the Limerick big guns – Lynch, Hegarty and Hayes in particular – was essential and Cork heroically did that. Stand-ins Cahalane, O’Brien and Healy were superb all through. The Limerick goal rocked the Rebels but they responded well and Barrett’s goal steadied the ship again. Of course we were in trouble at half time, only four in front with the ten-point wind. This was the real test.
When the four-point lead quickly disappeared, we almost settled for the worst but the players weren’t in that frame of mind. Incredibly, they maintained their fierce, aggressive approach and it was point for point all the way to the end. Heart-stopping stuff as both sides missed chances to win it but we were delighted with a draw and extra time.
Cork manager Pat Ryan.
There was no separating the sides in the first half of extra time but we were almost on our knees praying when Limerick hit the front at the very end of the second period. But with Horgan off the pitch, Fitzgibbon emerged the hero of the hour with a pressure point from a 65 that was almost a winning goal. We hadn’t realised we were holding our breath for five long minutes until that final whistle sounded and we were guaranteed a penalty shoot-out, a horrible way to finish such an absorbing contest, the first-ever in a Munster senior hurling championship.
Ten minutes later the same Fitzgibbon was in tears as his cramped leg collapsed under him and Cork’s first penalty was saved. Suddenly we were two down and it looked all over, a magnificent effort by the players all for nothing.
But miracles do happen, and this Cork team is the real thing. A save by Collins and another sent wide showed us the underbelly of this Limerick monster and who better than super-subs Lehane and Kingston to level it all up. A fearless strike by Connolly set it up for a win and Collins obliged with a second save to send the Cork supporters into seventh heaven. There never was a roller-coaster like this, the Mick Mackey Cup on the way to Cork, absolute joy and delight as the Gaelic Grounds was swamped in red and white. What a day to be a Rebel supporter, never to be forgotten.
