Rebels show class to win third All-Ireland U20 hurling title in four years

Cork 2-22

Offaly 3-13

JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS

HAVING gone 22 years without a title in the All-Ireland U21 or U20 grades, Cork made it three titles in four years as they proved too strong for Offaly at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles.

Trailing for a good chunk of the first half, Cork hit five of the last six points before half-time to lead by 1-11 to 1-9 at the interval. Captain Micheál Mullins scored a fine goal after 14 seconds of the second half and six more unanswered points put them into an 11-point lead that was never going to be eroded.

Cork manager Ben O’Connor was ecstatic at the end.

‘We were expecting a fierce battle and that's exactly what we got for 35 minutes,’ he said.

‘Our strength and fitness told then. You can see how hot it is down here, so you can imagine what the players went through for an hour. Fellas are in great condition. We're just delighted.

‘We were two up at half-time and yet we felt we hadn't done any hurling. We thought Offaly had all the hurling done, and yet we were still two ahead at half-time. We let the boys regroup there, a few words were spoken, a few things sorted out, and in fairness to the boys, after seven or eight minutes after half-time, we were in the driving seat. ‘All we had to do from then was go score to score with them, and we did that.’

Cork's Diarmuid Healy crashes the ball past Offaly goalkeeper Mark Troy in the All-Ireland U20 hurling final in Thurles. (Photo: George Hatchell)

Following on from the wins under Pat Ryan for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, this victory will underline the view that the future is bright for Cork. Four of the panel – captain Mullins, Ben Cunningham, Eoin Downey and Brian Keating – were members of the 2021 squad while there was a large contingent from the team that romped to minor glory that year.

Such winning experience was married to a strong management team led by O’Connor. Though Offaly asked questions of Cork in the first half, with Adam Screeney outstanding, Cork cut the Faithful County’s supply in the second period. While the Leinster champions did get in for two goals – one at the very end, with the outcome decided – Cork didn’t concede a single point from play in the second half.

The scoring blitz on the resumption was key. Mullins had scored a goal following a driving run in the Munster final win over Clare and he did similar here from the throw-in to make it 2-11 to 1-9. Ben Cunningham made it a six-point game and three more from him with Jack Leahy and William Buckley also on target meant a sizeable advantage.

Leahy and Buckley each finished with four points from play and were excellent along with wing-forward Diarmuid Healy and Shane Kingston at full-back – all the more impressive as he played three quarters of the game on a yellow card.

That had come following the concession of a penalty just after Healy’s goal had put Cork ahead by 1-3 to 0-4. While there were calls for a red card, it would have been a huge call and Kingston survived with a booking. Dan Ravenhill’s penalty was superb – Cork goalkeeper Brion Saunderson got his hurley to it but couldn’t keep it out and Offaly looked to have settled again as they led by 1-8 to 1-6 on 24 minutes after Screeney’s sixth point.

They would only score once more in the half, though, as Cork finally generated momentum. Mullins had an effort from distance before Cremin profited from Ben O’Connor’s run. They were in front as Downey’s diagonal ball allowed Cunningham to score his third and Jack Leahy made it 1-10 to 1-8.

Screeney’s seventh looked to have given Offaly an injury-time boost but Healy set up Tadhg O’Connell to give Cork a two-point lead at half-time.

After that expanded to 11, Offaly had some hope as Conor Doyle pulled a goal back but Cork never panicked and continued to knock over points.

It was 2-20 to 2-11 with ten minutes left and Shane Rigney’s injury-time goal gave the scoreboard a more balanced look than the second half had suggested. Nevertheless, Cork’s supremacy couldn’t be denied.

Now, the task is to bring the best player on at senior level as the county looks to end the wait that dates back to 2005.

‘You can't say all these fellas are going to play senior because they are not,’ O’Connor said, ‘you have to be realistic.

‘But what it does do, it shows younger fellas coming through; there are young fellas here today, 12 and 13 years of age, and they want to play for Cork at U17 and U20. It breeds winning.

‘We haven't won at senior level for a good few years now. This is another step towards that. We hope to get a few fellas off this that can go on and strengthen the senior panel and get us closer to what we want, and that's winning an All-Ireland senior.’

An interesting side-story, Randal Óg's Sean Daly, who has featured regularly in this campaign, has become the first player from the Carbery club to win an All-Ireland inter-county medal.

Scorers

Cork: B Cunningham 0-10 (4f); W Buckley, J Leahy 0-4 each; M Mullins, D Healy 1-1 each; T O’Connell, A O’Sullivan 0-1 each.

Offaly: A Screeney 0-8 (6f); D Ravenhill 1-5 (1-0 pen, 2f, 1 65); C Doyle, S Rigney 1-0 each.

Cork: B Saunderson (Midleton); D O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig), S Kingston (Ballinora), Mark Howell (Douglas); J Dwyer (Ballincollig), B O’Connor (St Finbarr’s), E Downey (Glen Rovers); T O’Connell (Ballincollig), M Mullins (Whitechurch); W Buckley (St Finbarr’s), B Cunningham (St Finbarr’s), D Healy (Lisgoold); R O’Sullivan (Na Piarsaigh), J Leahy (Dungourney), D Cremin (Midleton).

Subs: E O’Leary (Glen Rovers) for R O’Sullivan (45), A O’Sullivan (Ballinhassig) for Cremin (48), C Walsh (Kanturk) for Leahy (56), C Doolin (St Finbarr’s) for Dwyer, B Keating (Ballincollig) for Downey (58).

Offaly: M Troy; Ter Guinan, P Taaffe, J Mahon; L Watkins, S Bourke, B Kavanagh; C Spain, C King; D Bourke, C Egan, C Doyle; A Screeney, C Mitchell, D Ravenhill.

Subs: S Rigney for C Egan (ht, injured), B Egan for Mitchell, R Kelly for Taaffe (both 39), J Hoctor for King (45), A Watkins for Spain (53).

Referee: C Mooney (Dublin).