Limerick defeated but not disgraced

Munster SHC - Cork 2-19 Limerick 0-12:DEFEATED BUT not disgraced. After a winter of conflict and strife, embattled Limerick boss Justin McCarthy took his side south for summer action to a sun-soaked Páirc Ui Chaoimh for yesterday afternoon's Munster SHC semi-final, where they produced a brave and defiant display.

Limerick, with only six members of last year’s panel and parading a clutch of greenhorns in the championship arena, showed stomach for the battle that ensured Cork never ran riot. Even when wing-forward Sean Herlihy was shown a red card in first-half injury-time, Limerick remained competitive.

Only 13,638 witnessed Cork cruise to a provincial final date with Waterford on July 11th with 13 points to spare. An injury-time Paudie O’Sullivan goal and a Kieran Murphy point added some gloss to Cork’s winning tally.

Three weeks ago Páirc Ui Chaoimh had witnessed a match of fire and brimstone as Cork and Tipperary went toe to toe, but yesterday produced a hurling rarity – a Munster championship game devoid of atmosphere.

Cork entered the game in an uncomfortable position with most observers forecasting an afternoon stroll for Denis Walsh’s charges. The Cork boss sought to sharpen his players focus before the game but their performance was one he was not satisfied with.

“Overall, the performance wasn’t great really. We played in fits and starts and we played as individuals, which is a complete contrast to the Tipperary game. I thought the players were very positive over the last fortnight but, maybe, when you go out on the field then do you think it’s just going to happen for you? Or are you willing to dig in for the breaking ball?”

With Limerick manager Justin McCarthy and his selectors remaining silent after the game, it was left to Limerick captain Bryan O’Sullivan to surmise the action and he was disappointed the county had suffered another provincial championship defeat. “Look Limerick’s record in the Munster championship for the last decade just isn’t good enough. Two first-round Munster championship wins in the last 10 years for a proud hurling county, that’s not good enough. We’re just going to have to regroup and get ready for the qualifiers.”

The first-half contained bright moments for Limerick. Full-back Dave Breen did an excellent job in stifling the threat of Aisake Ó hAilpín, corner-back Kieran O’Rourke was outstanding while Graeme Mulcahy looked sharp and lively in attack.

In the 11th minute they shipped a goal when Patrick Horgan slammed a penalty to the net but nine minutes later Tadhg Flynn proved equal to another Horgan penalty blast. An exquisite Mulcahy point in the 22nd minute left Limerick only 1-5 to 0-4 adrift, and they were hurling in a manner that gave their supporters hope.

However, Cork’s strength and experience began to show and Limerick suffered two setbacks before the break. Firstly Paudie McNamara’s penalty in the 29th minute was beaten away by Donal Óg Cusack and then they saw Herlihy sent to the line after a wild pull on Shane Murphy. By half-time Cork had stretched 1-10 to 0-6 ahead without hitting full speed.

Breen, O’Rourke, O’Sullivan and Thomas O’Brien ensured Limerick were never submerged by a deluge of Cork scores. Yet there were signals of the sizeable gulf that existed between the teams with Eoin Cadogan commanding at full-back for Cork, Séan Óg Ó hAilpín imperious on the wing and Niall McCarthy produced a glittering attacking display that yielded five points from play.

Ben and Jerry O’Connor headed the second-half scoring charge and Cork were out of sight with a 1-17 to 0-9 lead with 10 minutes left. Limerick’s efforts were rewarded with some fine late points by Thomas O’Brien yet Cork’s progress was never in doubt and O’Sullivan capped their success with a late goal.

CORK:1 D Óg Cusack; 2 S O'Neill, 3 E Cadogan, 4 B Murphy; 5 J Gardiner (0-1), 6 R Curran, 7 S Óg Ó'hAilpín; 22 L McLoughlin (0-1), 9 C Naughton (0-1); 10 B O'Connor (0-3, 0-1f), 11 J O'Connor (0-3), 12 N McCarthy (0-5); 13 K Murphy (0-2), 14 A Ó hAilpín, 15 P Horgan (1-2, 1-0 pen). Subs:S Murphy for Murphy (inj) (30), M Cussen for A Ó'hAilpín (49), P O'Sullivan (1-1) for Horgan (49), G Callanan for Naughton (53), R Ryan for S Óg Ó'hAilpín (62).

LIMERICK:1 T Flynn; 2 S O'Neill, 3 D Breen, 4 K O'Rourke; 5 S O'Riordan, 6 B O'Sullivan, 7 P Browne; 8 T O'Brien (0-5, 0-3f, 0-1 '65), 9 A Brennan (0-1); 11 P McNamara (0-1, 0-1f), 10 J V O'Brien, 12 S Herlihy; 13 G Mulcahy (0-3), 14 A Owens (0-1), 15 R McKeogh. Subs:L O'Dwyer for O'Riordan (23), P Russell for McKeogh (half-time), C Mullane (0-1) for McNamara (half-time), N Quaid for Brennan (44), A O'Connor for Owens (59).

Referee:James Owens (Wexford)