Galway 1-21

Cork 2-20

JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS

CORK manager Ben O’Connor praised the problem-solving ability of his team as a slow start was overcome in order to beat Galway and make it two hurling league wins from two.

The Rebels trailed by seven points twice in the first half at Pearse Stadium on Saturday night but improved coming up to half-time to go in just one behind. In the second half, the game remained even until a pair of goals from Brian Hayes proved to be the difference.

While O’Connor acknowledged that the opening 20 minutes or so had not been up to standard, he was pleased to see an uptick before any hairdryer treatment was needed at the interval.

‘That’s themselves,’ he said, when asked if the management needed to question players’ desire to improve.

‘We are only here to support them fellas, them fellas know what they want. They know what they are doing. You lay out something, they go and do it. You see in the second half, as I said, you can’t get messages out to the field. It isn’t right, in my opinion, that you can’t.

‘Training all week, you can tell fellas this and tell them that, then you go into a match and can’t get information in. They have to figure out themselves inside. In fairness, most of them come up with that.’

They had to do so, before a crowd of 8,464 in Salthill. When Tom Monaghan goaled for Galway on 11 minutes, set up by the industrious John Fleming and Jason Rabbitte, it put them 1-4 to 0-3 in front and they added three more points without reply.

However, while they were well on top out the field, denying Cork space and creating plenty of their own, the dominance could have been reflected even more heavily on the scoreboard – their eight scores were joined by seven wides.

There was little consolation in Cork having a 100 percent efficiency rate with their first three shots but, after the injury-enforced departure of Fleming halted Galway’s momentum somewhat – along with a Patrick Collins save from Cathal Mannion – the Rebels gained a foothold.

Séamus Harnedy, starting his first game since last June’s Munster final, had his second point before Brian O’Sullivan set up one for Shane Barrett and then added a point of his own.

After a good Eoin Downey interception to deny Darragh Neary a goal chance, Barrett’s third cut the lead to two and, in the wake of more Galway wastefulness, Fitzgibbon left the minimum between the sides as tempers rose heading down the tunnel.

The introduction of Tim O’Mahony at midfield for the second half gave Cork more presence in that area and he used the ball well as they managed to lead for the first time, with Harnedy and Barrett (two) on target – along with captain Darragh Fitzgibbon in the half-forward line, they would account for 0-13 between them.

While Galway sub Colm Molloy levelled at 1-13 to 0-16 on 48, a superb pickup allowed Barrett to put Cork back in front with his fifth point and then Brian Roche and O’Mahony linked to help Harnedy score his fourth.

Back Galway came again, Gavin Lee and Mannion levelling before Eoin Roche had to defend well to stop Darragh Neary playing Rabbitte in. However, when Dáire O’Leary was penalised for a throw-ball, Mannion converted the free.

Further chances were wasted by the hosts though – the final wides tally was 15-6 – and Cork made a decisive burst. Fitzgibbon’s surging run up the left flank and unselfish handpass across to Hayes left for the first goal, with points from O’Mahony and Alan Connolly (free) putting Cork four ahead, 1-20 to 1-16.

That lead became seven when Connolly, Barrett and Fitzgibbon combined brilliantly and Hayes was once again on hand to apply the finish. While five minutes of normal time remained, Cork would not score again and Aaron Niland, having taken over the Galway frees, was to land five points between there and the end but Galway couldn’t come closer than two.

With Tipperary coming to Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday evening, O’Connor is keen to keep building.

‘We knew coming up, we were going to get a battle,’ he said, ‘They put it up to Tipp last Saturday night.

‘Ran out of steam in the end, back home for their first league game here tonight, that is the way it goes. When you have a home league game, it is definitely worth a few scores to you. We’d a fierce travelling crowd but last week we had 20,000 and it does make a difference. We are delighted with it and we’ll have the same now on Saturday night, can’t wait to get up there.’

Scorers

Galway: Cathal Mannion 0-10 (8f); Aaron Niland 0-5 (4f); Gavin Lee 0-3; Tom Monaghan 1-0; Darragh Neary, Declan McLoughlin, Colm Molloy 0-1 each.

Cork: Shane Barrett 0-6, Brian Hayes 2-0, Séamus Harnedy, Alan Connolly (3f) 0-4 each, Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-3, Tommy O’Connell, Brian O’Sullivan, Tim O’Mahony 0-1 each.

Galway: Darach Fahy; Ronan Glennon, Cillian Trayers, Joshua Ryan; Pádraic Mannion, Daithí Burke, Daniel Loftus; Gavin Lee, Tom Monaghan; Darragh Neary, Cathal Mannion, John Fleming; Aaron Niland, Jason Rabbitte, Declan McLoughlin.

Subs: Colm Molloy for Fleming (28, injured), TJ Brennan for Glennon (43, injured), Cianán Fahy for Burke (50, injured), Seán Linnane for Monaghan (58), Cian Daniels for Trayers (65).

Cork: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Dáire O’Leary, Eoin Roche; Eoin Downey, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Tommy O’Connell, Brian O’Sullivan; Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett, Séamus Harnedy; Brian Roche, Declan Dalton, Alan Connolly.

Subs: Tim O’Mahony for O’Sullivan, Brian Hayes for Brian Roche (both half-time), Robbie O’Flynn for Dalton (47), Hugh O’Connor for Harnedy (64), Brian Keating for Fitzgibbon (70).

Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary).