MUNSTER SHC ROUND 1
Cork 1-17
Limerick 2-25
Limerick’s dominance at each provincial and nationwide stage seems to be to be completely intact because the Treaty males served up one other lesson to the identical facet that fell brief within the All Eire Closing lower than 12 months in the past.
Kyle Hayes, Diarmuid Byrnes, Gearóid Hegarty and Aaron Gillane had been the celebrities of the present for the victors with Cork’s Robbie O’Flynn and Patrick Horgan the primary males for the vanquished facet.
In entrance of an enormous Leeside crowd the facet going for 3 All Eire’s in-a-row fought again from a gradual begin in each halves to rout a Cork facet that on the end seemed a shadow of the facet that got here flying from the traps lower than 90 minutes earlier than.
Cork couldn’t have dreamt of a greater begin. 15 seconds in and a aim up – and what a aim it was! Laborious ball gained within the centre of the pitch, an important run and cross from Conor Cahalane to Shane Kingston and a bullet previous Nicky Quaid – Cork on a excessive, the returning
Roll on a few minutes and after three wides from the guests and one other rating – this time a degree from Shane Barrett, and a pointed free from Patrick Horgan – Cork actually did come flying from the traps.
Three fast lengthy vary factors from wing again Diarmuid Byrnes (two frees) settled the Limerick nerves earlier than a degree from Barry Nash had the All Eire champions again to inside one by the tenth minute.
The tempo of this one wasn’t letting up and a aim from Kyle Hayes on quarter-hour simply heightened the stress round what was a completely engaged Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Hayes slipped two Cork defenders and completed in fashion to place Limerick in entrance for the primary time.
Cork responded impressively with three factors on the bounce, however Limerick had their tails up and had been stage once more simply after the half hour mark with two factors from Hegarty and Tom Morrissey.
A free from Patrick Horgan (his fourth of the half) seemed like sending Cork in on the flip forward however a free from Aaron Gillane, some absolute stunning play from three Cork defenders that led to a aim from Gillane and a late level from Cian Lynch despatched the reigning Munster Champions in on the flip wanting good.
Cork had the prospect to hit again moments later when Darragh Fitzgibbon was by way of on aim, picked out Conor Lehane on entrance of the posts, however the Midleton man was crowded out earlier than getting something like a considerable shot away.
Limerick could have led 2-9 to 1-8 on the break, however 4 factors in a matter of three minutes on the resumption had the perimeters stage – all of the injury of from the tip of the primary interval seemingly put to mattress.
Limerick aren’t the most effective facet ion the land for nothing they usually confirmed that over the subsequent 10 minutes with factors from Byrnes (two), Hayes, Gillane and Dan Morrissey – Cork wanting like a facet on the ropes.
A brace of scores from Horgan saved Cork in contact however Limerick had the bit between their collective tooth and one other three scores, the choose of them from Lynch had Limerick up by seven with 12 minutes nonetheless on the clock.
The introduction of Jack O’Connor from the bench nearly had an immediate payback, however the Sarsfields’ man shot simply broad. Limerick piled on the strain with six of the subsequent seven scores as Cork seemed a overwhelmed docket from greater than 10 out.
Cork, to their credit score, plugged away until the end however they had been by no means probably to have the ability to flip this round and Limerick cruised to what was not solely a well-deserved victory, however a win that was each bit as spectacular because the one which noticed off the Rebels in Croke Park in 2021.
LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey 0-1, B Nash 0-2; D Byrnes 0-6 (2f), D Hannon 0-1, Okay Hayes 1-1; D O’Donovan, W O’Donoghue; G Hegarty 0-3, C Lynch 0-2, T Morrissey 0-1; D Reidy 0-1, A Gillane 1-4 (2f), G Mulcahy Subs: C O’Neill 0-2 for T Morrissey (56), D Reidy for D O’Donovan (60), O O’Reilly for Okay Hayes (62), C Boylan for G Hegarty, P Ryan 0-1 for G Mulcahy (each 69)
CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane, S O’Donoghue; T O’Mahony 0-1, M Coleman, C Joyce; D Fitzgibbon 0-1, G Millerick; R O’Flynn 0-2, S Barrett 0-2, C Cahalane; S Kingston 1-0, P Horgan 0-9 (8f), C Lehane 0-2 Subs: S Harnedy for C Cahalane (ht), R Downey for S O’Donoghue (42, rev 53), J O’Connor for S Kingston and A Connolly for S Barrett (each 55), L Meade for C Lehane (60)
REFEREE: J. Keenan (Wicklow).