Tale of the expected for a change

Munster SHC Semi-final Cork 1-18 Limerick 2-12: For a change things turned out as expected in yesterday's Guinness Munster hurling semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Despite a restless and energetic display from the home side, Cork had just enough of an advantage across the board to take the defence of their Munster title to next month's provincial final.

The champions defended tenaciously when the match was surging against them, rode the breaks by exploiting a lucky goal to turn the match around and picked off sufficient scores to protect their lead when Limerick came chasing the match in the closing minutes and succeeded in getting the margin down to within a single score.

As evidence of the improvement on last year, when Limerick exited the qualifiers on one confused and spiritless evening in Thurles, the keynote reaction yesterday was angry disappointment. Supporters bayed at referee Séamus Roche from Tipperary, who had given some debatable frees to Cork, most notably one award against captain TJ Ryan for overcarrying when it looked equally possible he had been fouled.

Ironically, Ryan was at the centre of an even more controversial moment in the 10th minute when he was shown a yellow card after an incident in which he could clearly be seen striking Jonathan O'Callaghan with the hurl. It was claimed afterwards in mitigation that he had sustained a broken tooth in the exchange but a plea of retaliation won't spare him the attentions of the GAC.

Roche, who didn't have the happiest of days officiating, inexplicably declined to show a red card. But by the fraught conclusion to the match, Limerick supporters had thoroughly forgotten that indulgence.

Ryan responded to the let-off by playing a fine game, robustly defending his patch, as Ben O'Connor tried to take him on a tour of the field. His dynamic breaks from the back and raking clearances pumped up Limerick and took the match to the provincial champions.

The Moran brothers also delivered big performances with Ollie making a major impact after being moved to centre back and Niall constantly posing the greatest menace of any of the Limerick attack. A seven-point total included four from play and if his shooting was sometimes wayward, he represented a threat that Cork never quite subdued.

In the first half, playing with the breeze, Limerick were off to a flying start. In the seventh minute Seán O'Connor planted a dropping ball from Niall Moran's free firmly into the net to push the home team in front, 1-1 to 0-1.

It was Cork who seemed inspired by the score, however, and they rattled off six points without reply. Ben O'Connor started to buzz and Jonathan O'Callaghan got on to a good supply of ball, using his pace to expose Limerick's right flank. Combining well, Cork carved out a series of chances and showed impressive economy by shooting only two wides for the first 35 minutes - and ultimately only six for the whole match.

Yet the mood by half-time had changed. Faced with a match spinning out of control Limerick took over in the middle. Their half backs, particularly Moran and Peter Lawlor on the wings, imposed themselves on the game and with Cork's centrefield almost a vacuum the flow of the game reversed.

Had Limerick taken their chances in the sort of ratio availed of by Cork they would have set a far stiffer target by half-time. As things turned out, enough shots went over the bar to push the home side in front by a point, 1-5 to 0-8.

After the break Cork manager Donal O'Grady made the familiar move of bringing a hitherto nondescript John Gardiner back to the wing in a switch with Tom Kenny. As in last year's All-Ireland final, Gardiner played an excellent second half but Kenny's game didn't lift as hoped and Mark Foley, who started the match at centrefield, was the most prominent operator in that area.

As so often happens the underdogs, Limerick were effectively broken on the wheel of fate. Ben O'Connor tried to filch a few feet at a free a little over 65 metres from goal. Had he not been spotted the ball would have cleared the bar for a point. Instead it dropped precisely over Albert Shanahan's upstretched hand and into the net.

It was then that Cork showed their killer streak. Over the following 15 minutes they outscored their opponents 0-7 to 0-2. Whereas Ben O'Connor's practised accuracy from placed balls was the main component of his team's drive for home, there were also some neat scores, not least from Brian Corcoran, introduced for the last quarter.

Within minutes he answered the rousing cheers of the Cork faithful with a point struck as he was on his knees. Otherwise his was a quiet enough display.

Limerick replacement Pat Tobin made an impact with two points from play and he brought an urgency to proceedings, which corroborated the view that he had been unlucky not to make the starting line-up.

He and Niall Moran stepped up their contributions and although it didn't make much of a difference to the margin, as Cork were picking off points tit for tat, it helped give Limerick some momentum and in the 67th minute the match lurched again.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy made a dramatic solo incision before offloading to the supporting O'Connor, who had been relatively quiet since switching back to centre forward, and his fulminating finish threw the match into uncertainty.

Again Cork responded. Corner backs Brian Murphy and Wayne Sherlock, tight and combative throughout, resisted the comeback but with the margin down to three, Ryan tidied up a Cork attack and took on the converging forwards. But bottled up, he didn't release and conceded a free, which Ben O'Connor pointed.

The turnaround deflated Limerick and they managed just one final score by Mike McKenna. Not enough on the day but things are nonetheless looking up for Limerick.

Cork, meanwhile, will face the winners of Tipperary and Waterford in this year's Munster final.

CORK: 1. D Cusack; 4. W Sherlock, 3. D O'Sullivan, 2. B Murphy; 5. T Kenny, 6. R Curran, 7. S Óg Ó hAilpín; 8. J Gardiner, 9. M O'Connell (0-1); 11. N McCarthy (0-3), 10. J O'Connor (0-1), 12. T McCarthy (0-1); 13. J O'Callaghan, 15. B O'Connor (1-7, 1-6 frees, one 65), 14. J Deane (0-4, three frees). Subs: 22. B Corcoran (0-1) for T McCarthy (54 mins), 23. M Byrne for O'Callaghan (65 mins).

LIMERICK: 1. A Shanahan; 2. D Reale, 3. TJ Ryan, 4. M Cahill; 5. O Moran, 6. B Geary, 9. P Lawlor; 8. C Smith, 7. M Foley; 10. N Moran (0-7, three frees), 14. JP Sheahan (0-1), 12. M McKenna (0-1); 13. A O'Shaughnessy, 11. S O'Connor (2-0), 15. D Sheehan (0-1). Subs: 26. P Tobin (0-2) for Sheahan (56 mins), 22. D O'Grady for Sheehan (72 mins).

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary).