Cork hurling is alive and well – just ask Limerick

The rumours of Cork’s hurling demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Cork were expected to be just another speed bump in Limerick’s march to their inevitable five-in-a row, but to most people’s surprise they beat John Kiely’s side for the second time in two months in the championship to rip up the script.

Cork have now won five hurling championship games in a row for the first time since when they were trying to complete a three-in-a-row back in 2006. 

But this is no ordinary winning sequence either, given the fact that it was bookended by a pair of two-point wins over their history making neighbours.

This Limerick team have been wonderful champions, and, like them or love them, they will go down as one of the greatest sides to ever play the game.

Good champions die hard, and Limerick did their best to rescue the game, despite Cork being the better team on the day. 

A few wides late on from some of the younger members of their panel proved extremely costly and ensured that Cork managed to get to the final whistle ahead, just.

Limerick will be kicking themselves that they didn’t drive the stake through Cork’s heart down in Páirc Uí Chaoimh in May. Cork were gone. 

They were done. Pat Ryan would have been under pressure to stay on.

However, Cork survived, somehow, and here they are, looking forward to an All-Ireland final against Brian Lohan’s Clare in a fortnight’s time.

After losing the opening two games against Waterford and Clare the likelihood of this occurring was in the slim to no chance category. It has been an amazing journey, while also an extremely unlikely one. 

A serious amount of luck may have been involved, but the way Cork have played, they have deserved every bit of luck they have gotten.

Cork GAA supporters will have been well aware of Brian Hayes for some time, but nationally he was probably not that well known.

Well, Sunday put paid to that notion. 

The secret is well and truly out now, as Cork possess the kind of forward that they have not been able to field up front since the Ó hAilpin brothers were knocking about. A 6ft 4” pacy, goal scoring, ball winning corner forward. Yes please.

Cork’s goalkeeper Patrick Collins got a huge amount of stick after the championship exit to Galway in 2022, but he gave easily his best ever display in Cork’s no. 1 jersey on Sunday. 

He made crucial saves in both halves from Seamus Flanagan and Gearoid Hegarty, and his accurate restarts played a huge part in the victory. 

He has made the complete journey from being a perceived weakness to being one of Cork’s biggest strengths this year. 

It has been some journey.

Being Cork manager can be a thankless task at times too, as invariably when the Rebels come up short in a big game the accusation can be levelled ‘that Cork lost it on the line’. 

Indeed, after the opening round loss in Walsh Park a lot of slack was sent in Pat Ryan’s direction.

The expectation was that Limerick would have Cork’s measure in the tactical stakes on Sunday – that there was no way that Kiely and Paul Kinnerk would be outthought twice in a row by the same team.

Well, it happened. 

The Cork management pulled masterstrokes by neutralising the influence of Gearoid Hegarty by deploying the brilliant Ciaran Joyce on him, while Declan Dalton went to great lengths to ensure that Kyle Hayes was completely out of the game. 

Taking Limerick’s two key players out of the game played a huge part in the win.

The build up to the All-Ireland final against Clare on July 21 will begin in earnest in the next few days.

The win over Limerick is one to be savoured for a few days though. 

It was one for the ages, and should be enjoyed in full.

In saying that, absolutely nothing has been won yet. 

Lose the All-Ireland final and the win over Limerick will have been diluted, and will in many respects have been in vain. 

The big pot is there to be won. Cork have come this far – they might as well take the lot.