Cork 0-29
Tipperary 0-22
CORK DEPARTED WITH two league points pocketed and a February success over the All-Ireland champions, but extracting greater meaning than that from this fixture is more difficult.
The crowd broke the 30,000 barrier drawn by the repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final fixture and a still crisp evening that deviated from the relentless rain of recent weeks.
They saw red cards flashed in the direction of Shane Barrett and Jason Forde before the break, and an outcome where Cork had seven points to spare at the finish.
That full-time scoreboard advantage looked healthy, Cork largely powered by the double scoring act of Alan Connolly and Darragh Fitzgibbon as they shot a combined 0-15.
Yet Tipperary made life nervy for the local attendance, eating into a seven-point second-half advantage in the final quarter and cutting the deficit to three approaching full-time. Eoghan Connolly and Darragh McCarthy were wheeled off the bench to telling effect, while Tipperary injected greater physicality to the middle exchanges as the game wore on.
Cork looked anxious, but they got over the line at the end, coping with Tipperary hunting them down, as Connolly (2), Fitzgibbon and Diarmuid Healy clipped over the last four points of the game.
Sean O’Donoghue tackles Jake Morris. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The opening blast of hurling saw Cork lead 0-16 to 0-12 at the break, yet the interval chat was dominated by the flashpoint before the break. All 30 players were drawn to a pocket of the pitch in the middle on the North Stand side, and when the dust had settled, Liam Gordon showed four cards after restoring peace.
The yellows went to Alan Connolly and Willie Connors, the reds to Barrett and Forde, who were surprisingly picked out as the chief aggressors in an incident where all were involved.
Tempers flare between the two teams during the game. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Barrett had been part of a Cork forward line that clicked nicely into gear at times, largely driven by Darragh Fitzgibbon and Alan Connolly, who shared 0-7 between them in the first half. Cork’s midway lead could have been greater after Barrett was grounded in the 17th minute, and Johnny Ryan was subsequently shown a black card.
But Rhys Shelly got down to bat away Declan Dalton’s blast from the penalty, softening the blow Tipperary had incurred in being temporarily cut to 14 men. Cork did recycle possession from the rebound to point through Fitzgibbon, moving ahead 0-9 to 0-7, yet Tipperary got a run of momentum going to draw level at 0-10 apiece by the 24th minute.
Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Cork’s best phase of early play ensued. The supply to Connolly improved, and they reaped the benefits, as he struck the first two of a five-point unbroken run that put daylight between the teams. Tipperary, who had started brightly through the direction Jake Morris and Andrew Ormond provided, hung in there to be four adrift as the sides retreated to the dressing-rooms.
The intensity was raised as the second half unfolded, Tipperary bringing some doubt into what direction the contest would travel in.
But the bumper home attendance went home happy, a third league win on the bounce secured.
Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Scorers for Cork: Alan Connolly 0-8 (0-4f), Darragh Fitzgibbon 0-7 (0-1f), Diarmuid Healy 0-3, William Buckley 0-3, Shane Barrett 0-2, Eoin Downey 0-2, Mark Coleman 0-2, Brian Hayes 0-1, Tim O’Mahony 0-1 (0-1 ’65)
Scorers for Tipperary: Eoghan Connolly 0-4 (0-4f), Jake Morris 0-3 (0-1f), Andrew Ormond 0-2, Sam O’Farrell 0-2, Darragh McCarthy 0-2 (0-2f), Jason Forde 0-2 (0-2f), Oisin O’Donoghue 0-1, Willie Connors 0-1, Craig Morgan 0-1, Conor Stakelum 0-1, Seamus Kennedy 0-1, Noel McGrath 0-1, Cathal O’Reilly 0-1.
Cork
1. Patrick Collins (Ballinhassig)
2. Ger Millerick (Fr O’Neills), 3. Dáire O’Leary (Watergrasshill), 4. Sean O’Donoghue (Inniscarra)
5. Eoin Downey (Glen Rovers), 6. Robert Downey (Glen Rovers), 7. Mark Coleman (Blarney)
8. Micheál Mullins (Glen Rovers), 9. Ethan Twomey (St Finbarr’s)
10. Darragh Fitzgibbon (Charleville – captain), 12. Diarmuid Healy (Lisgoold), 11. Shane Barrett (Blarney),
13. William Buckley (St Finbarr’s), 14. Declan Dalton (Fr O’Neill’s), 15. Alan Connolly (Blackrock)
Subs
- 18. Cormac O’Brien (Newtownshandrum) for Coleman (half-tine)
- 21. Tim O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum) for Mullins (44)
- 25. Brian Hayes (St Finbarr’s) for Dalton (44)
- 22. Hugh O’Connor (Newmarket) for Twomey (51)
- 26. Robbie O’Flynn (Erins Own) for Buckley (64)
Tipperary
1. Rhys Shelly (Moycarkey-Borris)
2. Cathal O’Reilly (Holycross/Ballycahill), 3. Bryan O’Mara (Holycross/Ballycahill), 4. Johnny Ryan (Arravale Rovers)
5. Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Éire Óg), 6. Craig Morgan (Kilruane McDonaghs), 7. Seamus Kennedy (St. Mary’s)
8. Willie Connors (Kiladangan), 9. Conor Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields)
10. Jake Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg – captain), 11. Andrew Ormond (JK Brackens), 12. Josh Keller (Nenagh Éire Óg)
13. Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields), 14. Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs), 15. Jason Forde (Silvermines)
Subs
- 23. John McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Darragh Stakelum (half-time)
- 17. Eoghan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs) for Kennedy (45)
- 24. Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) for Keller (49)
- 20. Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara) for O’Donoghue (55)
- 22. Paddy McCormack (Borris-Ileigh) for Ormond (60)
Referee: Liam Gordon (Galway)
*****
Written by Fintan O’Toole and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
