NHL Division 1A: Cork 1-16 Limerick 1-16
It ended in a tizzy. Cork had drummed up a head of steam, Limerick were digging in, everyone was up in arms with the referee, the crowd were up and down out of their saturated seats, there were bodies falling everywhere, the ball was darting in all directions, usually out of control, and in the 10th minute of stoppage-time Darragh Fitzgibbon levelled the game for the last time with a free from 45 metres out. Seconds later, the chaos ended.
None of this will matter when the teams meet again in the Munster championship in three months’ time, but neither of them played like losing would be inconsequential. The home team came up with four of the last five scores when it looked like Limerick had done enough to win, and it will irritate Limerick that, just like last May, they couldn’t hold on to a lead going down the stretch against Cork.
By then the game had descended into a blizzard of incidents and accidents. Simply controlling the ball was incredibly tricky in the conditions, but the difficulty was accentuated by the relentless tackling from both sides. Seán Stack elected to referee the match like it was the middle of summer, when it is easier to ignore fouls without losing control. On this occasion, at this time of the year, he went too far and essentially lost control. Far too many fouls went unpunished.
In a 20-minute spell in the middle of the game Limerick went from five points down to five points up, but they couldn’t sustain that momentum and when Shane Barrett pounced for Cork’s goal eight minutes into the second half the contest took on another life. Cork were shapeless and careless for periods in the game, but they did well to stay in the fight.
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Since full crowds returned after the pandemic, one of Cork’s Saturday night games has produced the biggest attendance of the last three hurling leagues, eclipsing the final in each of those years. Both stands in Páirc Uí Chaoimh were reportedly sold out during the week, but any prospect of the attendance reaching 30,000 were dashed by a day of spilling rain. In the event, 23,402 braved the elements.
The conditions destroyed the game though. There was a stiff crosswind that didn’t help anybody, and it was noticeable how many shots and clearances were landing miles from their intended destination, suddenly losing altitude like a shuttlecock in badminton. In the circumstances there were handling errors galore and rucks where the players seemed to be huddled together for warmth.
But there was no shortage of bite. League games only matter when one crowd have something to get off their chest and the other crowd keep interrupting. Limerick were upended by Cork twice last summer and it was clear that winning a league match on the first day of February meant more to them than it usually would.
There was plenty of needle and flaking and players squaring up to each other, as if they were outside the chip shop after closing time. It was obvious from the start, too, that John Kiely was up for the fight and the Limerick manager was booked after 20 minutes for protesting a decision too vigorously. As the game wore one, complaints flew from both dugouts.
Cork made a blistering start and were 0-5 to 0-1 up after just seven minutes. Fitzgibbon landed three early frees while Luke Meade and Ethan Twomey added a couple of beauties from play. Cork were completely on top in the middle third and all over the field they were sharper to the ball. Just five minutes later Cork stretched into a 0-7 to 0-2 lead, but remarkably scored only once for the rest of the half.
Limerick’s goal after 19 minutes was completely against the run of play, but it had an exaggerated impact on the mood of the game. Tim O’Mahony, who was one of Cork’s best players, made a loose clearance that landed at Kyle Hayes. When he looked up Will O’Donoghue was all alone 20 metres from the Cork goal. The Limerick centre fielder is unaccustomed to being in such positions and his shot wasn’t particularly well struck but it was good enough to beat Patrick Collins in the Cork goal.
Limerick dominated the second quarter after that and rattled off 1-4 without reply. Patrick O’Donovan landed three sweet points from play and another from a free, a remarkable feat of marksmanship in the conditions. Limerick’s half-back line got a grip, Cian Lynch came into the game too and Cork looked bewildered for a while.
Limerick made a powerful start to the second half and were 1-11 to 0-9 ahead after 40 minutes when Adam English scored his only point from play. Barrett’s goal three minutes later reignited Cork and with Ethan Twomey storming into the game at centrefield they managed to stay in touch.
Ciarán Joyce was terrific at centre back, Fitzgibbon’s free-taking was excellent in the conditions and both teams went baldheaded for the win. Jason Gillane, Limerick’s new goalie, landed two magnificent frees from long range, and when English scored a terrific free from near the sideline in the fourth minute of stoppag- time it looked like a two-point lead might be enough.
Cork, though, kept going. A draw always belongs to somebody. Cork will take more than a point out of this.
CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, G Millerick, E Roche; T O’Mahony (0-1), C Joyce, C O’Brien; D Fitzgibbon (0-10, 9f), L Meade (0-1); E Twomey (0-1), S Barrett (1-0), S Kingston (0-1), B Hayes (0-2), P Power, A Connolly.
Subs: P Horgan for Power (17 mins); M Coleman for Kingston (49); C Lehane for Connolly (59); B Roche for Lehane (61); R Cotter for Barrett (68).
LIMERICK: J Gillane (0-2 2f); S Finn, D Morrissey, B Murphy; D Byrnes (0-1, f), K Hayes, C Coughlan; A English (0-4, 3f), W O’Donoghue (1-0); G Hegarty, C Lynch (0-2), A O’Connor (0-2); D Ó Dálaigh, S O’Brien (0-1), P O’Donovan (0-4,1f).
Subs: D Reidy for Hegarty (15 mins); F O’Connor for Finn (h-t); C Scully for Byrnes (45); S Flanagan for Ó Dálaigh (49); M Houlihan for O’Donovan (50).
Referee: Séan Stack (Dublin)
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