Cork v Limerick: Rebels triumph on penalties to take Munster title

Limerick 2-27 

Cork 1-30 

(after extra time, Cork win 3-2 on penalties) 

Cork are Munster senior hurling champions for the first time since 2018 after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Limerick at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.

With 90 minutes unable to find a winner, the sides - separated by 16 points at the same venue three weeks earlier had to go to a shootout.

After Limerick's Diarmaid Byrnes - brought back on for the shootout - netted, Nickie Quaid saved from Darragh Fitzgibbon and Aaron Gillane had Limerick two in front before Conor Lehane opened the Cork .

When Barry Murphy sent his wide, Shane Kingston tied and then Patrick Collins saved from Tom Morrissey, allowing Alan Connolly to put Cork ahead. Declan Hannon had to score to keep Limerick in it but was unable to do so and the pitch soon became a sea of red as Cork fans celebrated.

Beforehand, ticket prices were a point of conversation but the 43,580 present did get 20 more minutes for free as extra time was required.

After Hannon, just on, and Aaron Gillane put Limerick – who had the wind – in front, a hold-up was required as referee Thomas Walsh had to depart, replaced by James Owens.

When action resumed, Darragh Fitzgibbon pointed a free for Cork before Robbie O’Flynn set up fellow sub Shane Kingston to level and then another replacement, Conor Lehane, scored a wonderful individual effort.

Gillane’s seventh point of the game left matters balanced once more at the turnaround and then put Limerick in front; Kingston pointed after a Lehane shot came off the post and then returned the favour as Cork led.

Back came Limerick through Shane O’Brien and Peter Casey, with responses from Tommy O’Connell and Kingston’s third, but Cathal O’Neill levelled and Gillane had the hosts in front as the clock reached 80 minutes. There was time for Cork though and when Darragh Fitzgibbon’s free from deep was spilled out for a 65, he did the needful to send the game to penalties.

It may have been an unsatisfactory way for such a contest to end, but the journey to that point was absorbing, tense, intriguing and fascinating.

While he didn’t start, Cork captain Robert Downey went up for the pre-match coin-toss and won it, opting to play with the strong wind blowing towards the City End.

They had the first three points of the game, Séamus Harnedy with a beauty after a Ciarán Joyce turnover, though there was a let-off as Aidan O’Connor played in Cian Lynch for what looked like a goal but Walsh had blown the whistle for a throw-ball.

It was one of just six frees given by the Waterford official in the first half, with some questionable ‘letting the game flow’ calls, but it was an equal-opportunities approach.

With Mark Coleman excellent in the half-back line, Cork’s workrate was far better than what it had been three weeks previously and when Damien Cahalane pounced on a loose Limerick to send over a big effort, it was 0-6 to 0-4, followed by stand-in captain Barrett’s first of the day.

Despite the wind disadvantage, Limerick were always threatening and, with Cork 0-8 to 0-5 ahead on 19, it took a great Eoin Downey challenge to deny Adam English a goal chance. Unfortunately, it was only a brief respite as Cian Lynch’s delivery to Aidan O’Connor allowed him to get past Downey and finish past Patrick Collins for a tight angle. When Gearóid Hegarty’s sideline cut allowed David Reidy to send over his second point, Limerick had the lead for the first time, 1-6 to 0-8.

Cork’s response was irable. After Tim O’Mahony levelled, they almost had a goal as a Coleman turnover led to Fitzgibbon finding Brian Hayes, whose early shot tested Nickie Quaid, with Patrick Horgan unlucky not to meet the rebound.

However, after Aaron Gillane pointed to put Limerick back in front, Cork did find the net. Collins’s puckout was won by Horgan, who looked to be fouled, as did Hayes, but the ball fell kindly for Barrett, who pulled a low shot past Quaid.

Limerick might have replied in kind through Hegarty, with Collins saving from him, but Cork took that fortune and had five of the last seven points of the half, Barrett with a pair of beauties.

The half-time whistle brought what might be termed mixed of Walsh’s decisions, leading management teams airing differences of opinion. After the break, Cork kept Limerick waiting but Adam English had the opening score inside a minute of the restart.

While the wind remained a factor, Cork did well to stem the tide in the opening stages and Darragh Fitzgibbon engineered a goal effort that Quaid saved – the midfielder was fouled in the lead-up and Horgan sent over the resultant free for a 1-16 to 1-13 lead.

In the next age of play, another Cork attack could have yielded a free but none was forthcoming. When Limerick then won one, a quick delivery to Aaron Gillane allowed him to lay off to sub Shane O’Brien, who finished well to level.

Again, Cork kept their heads in the face of pressure as Horgan put them ahead after Harnedy was fouled and then, after O’Brien levelled, Coleman’s lovely allowed Hayes to make it 1-18 to 2-14.

The Rebels were never able to push two in front, though, and Limerick responded each time with a leveller. After Eoin Dowey put Cork 1-20 to 2-17 in front when possession was recycled well from a sideline cut on 64, Gillane replied with a free; then sub Tommy O’Connell did well to set up Healy for his third only for Gearóid Hegarty to tie.

On 67, Hayes looked to have put Cork back in front with a shot from a tight angle, but a wide was the call after consultation with various officials; Limerick took advantage as sub Darragh O’Donovan put them in front for the first time since the 26th minute.

This time, Cork levelled, Horgan with his sixth after work by Barrett and Hayes. With Gillane and Ciarán Joyce missing chances for a winner, extra time was required, with many more twists and turns to come.

Scorers for Limerick: A Gillane 0-9 (0-6 f), S O’Brien 1-2, A O’Connor 1-1, A English, D Reidy 0-3 each, G Hegarty, T Morrissey 0-2 each, D Byrnes (0-1 f), P Casey, D Hannon, C O’Neill, D O’Donovan 0-1 each.

Cork: P Horgan 0-6 (0-4 f), S Barrett 1-3, D Fitzgibbon 0-4 (0-1 f, 0-1 65), D Healy, S Kingston 0-3 each, C Lehane, S Harnedy 0-2 each, D Cahalane, E Downey, T O’Mahony, A Connolly, B Hayes, T O’Connell 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, M Casey; D Byrnes, K Hayes, B Nash; A English, W O’Donoghue; G Hegarty, C Lynch, T Morrissey; A Gillane, A O’Connor, D Reidy.

Subs: S O’Brien for O’Connor (42), P Casey for Reidy, C O’Neill for T Morrissey (both 55), D O’Donovan for O’Donoghue (65), D Hannon for Byrnes, B Murphy for M Casey (start of extra time), T Morrissey for Hegarty (79), S Flanagan for Lynch (80+1-80+3, blood), Byrnes for Lynch (80+4).

CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; M Coleman, C Joyce, C O’Brien; T O’Mahony, D Fitzgibbon; D Healy, S Barrett, S Harnedy; B Hayes, A Connolly, P Horgan.

Subs: R Downey for O’Brien (54), T O’Connell for O’Mahony (59), S Kingston for Connolly (65), R O’Flynn for Harnedy (68), C Lehane for Horgan (70+3), N O’Leary for O’Donoghue (73), B Roche for Healy (half-time in extra time), A Connolly for Coleman (84).

Referee: T Walsh (Waterford), replaced by J Owens (Wexford) (76).