Cork dig out a path towards a better day

Defending champions Galway tumbled to defeat in yesterday's All-Ireland under21 hurling final at Semple Stadium Thurles, before a crowd of 10,378.

Three immaculately-timed goals by Munster champions Cork gave the county its 10th title in the grade - their first since the 1988 demolition of Kilkenny - and extended its lead at the top of the under21 roll of honour to two ahead of Tipperary.

An All-Ireland of any sort is good news on Leeside these days and this was the county's 100th at all levels. Good news it may have been, but it had also been expected and confidence levels were high last week.

The win will be seen as a logical progression after the minor All-Ireland of two years ago and will also doubtless start to fire imaginations within the county that an end to the most severe senior famine in over 30 years may be in sight.

As a contest, the match failed to convince after Joe Deane's 12th-minute goal set Cork on their way. The standard of hurling was never hectic and referee Pat Horan's permissive style allowed the players too much latitude, resulting in a couple of ugly incidents.

Cork's victory was based on their dependable and frequently outstanding defence, allied to a substantial improvement in their play further up the field, compared to the rather laboured semi-final display against Wexford.

Galway were never allowed perform to within an ass's roar of their potential and will be very disappointed with the defeat and its manner. Before the throw-in, Kevin Broderick was passed fit to start, but after an anonymous first half, the senior star had his fitness test reversed at the interval and was replaced by Darren Shaughnessy.

By that stage, the holders were in trouble, trailing 0-7 to 2-6 with the wind to benefit Cork in the second half.

Proceedings had started well for Galway and after 10 minutes, they led 0-3 to 0-1. Centrefield was flourishing and Eugene Cloonan had ominously skinned Cork's well-regarded full back Diarmuid O'Sullivan for the lead point in the eighth minute, after Cloonan and John O'Flynn had exchanged opening scores.

This was about as good as it got for the Athenry wunderkind who managed only one further point from play as O'Sullivan maintained the performance levels that have made him such a success in the championship.

In front of him, team captain Dan Murphy was suffering from the effects of an injury which reduced his customary dominance and forced him back into the corner by the end of the match with Sean Og O hAilpin taking over in the middle and the exuberant Wayne Sherlock moving from the corner to the wing.

Deane's goal turned the early trend - in more than one way as the Corkman had been reliving the nightmare of last year's semi-final on Gregory Kennedy, Galway's right corner back. Having won the first four contested balls with his man, Kennedy fluffed a clearance and the spilled possession ended up with Deane cracking in his team's first goal.

Thereafter, Kennedy resumed his superiority, but Deane was presumably better able to bear his barren periods with the goal tucked away.

For the next phase of the match, scores were evenly contested between the teams, but three successive points from Cork - two frees from Michael O'Connell and a fine long-range effort from Pat Ryan - strengthened Cork's hand. Galway's chances dimmed considerably in the 21st minute after a sweeping move started by the excellent O hAilp in, whose powerful hurling stood out even in the distinguished company of his defensive colleagues. The wing back's long, relieving solo run opened up the Galway defence and if the quality of the passing between him, Timmy McCarthy and Deane wasn't exactly pretty, it set the left corner forward for a shot which spun off the ground and fortuitously broke for Darren Ronan to goal.

A couple of 65s - the first the result of disastrous foostering on the full-back line - by Cloonan helped pull the half-time deficit back to five points, but the champions were in trouble.

Changes at the interval saw Rory Gantley move to Broderick's position with Shaughnessy coming into the middle. Cork replaced O'Flynn with Sean O'Farrell, considered unlucky to lose his place after the Wexford game, coming in at right corner forward. It was the most blessed of the switches as the tall Carrigtwohill player made maximum use of limited opportunity to score 1-1.

The goal came in the 38th minute with Cork's lead standing at 2-8 to 0-8. Wing forward O'Connell sent in an inviting high ball which dropped into O'Farrell's outstretched hand. The finish from a tight angle on the right was breathtaking.

Although the title was obviously now heading south, Galway plugged away and cancelled the goal with three unanswered points, one from Martin Cullinane, their wholehearted centre forward, and two in quick succession by Rory Gantley, in whose absence from centrefield Pat Ryan was flourishing and displaying something of the form that has been a feature of Sarsfields' run to the Cork county final.

Galway tried to reinforce their defence by replacing Peter Huban at full back, but they still looked vulnerable. Finbar Gantley was clearing some good ball, but the size of O'Farrell discomfited him.

The closing minutes were uneventful with Galway's resignation implicit in Cloonan's disinclination to take on the goal from a close-in free after 50 minutes - despite an eight-point deficit.

All that remained were the formalities and the - unspoken - inkling that Cork may not be the whipping boys of Munster for much longer.