'Epic' Munster final lauded as 'one of the best games ever played'
An epic back-and-forth between Cork and Limerick has been lauded as 'one of the best games ever played.'
Cork ended Limerick's bid for a record seventh Munster senior hurling title in a row on a night of drama at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
For the first time in the history of the championship, a provincial final was decided on penalties after extra-time couldn't separate the two teams short-listed for this year's All-Ireland. Cork's Tim O'Mahony celebrates with fans
In the end, Cork won the shoot-out 3-2 with Alan Connolly firing the last penalty to ensure his team lifted the Mick Mackey Cup and won the province for the first time since 2018. — máire cáit (@mairecait_) June 7, 2025
It represents a remarkable turnaround for a team beaten by Limerick by 16 points in the group stage of the province only three weeks ago.
After that resounding defeat, the odds for the All-Ireland were flipped with Limerick being installed as favourites for the Liam MacCarthy Cup and for a seventh Munster title in success – which would have been unprecedented.
But they will now have to lick their wounds and prepare for an All-Ireland quarter-final after finally being deposed in Munster. Cork meanwhile, march on to an All-Ireland semi-final.
'We let a lot of people down three weeks ago,' admitted Alan Connolly who pointed to the sea of red and white below him as he spoke after the trophy presentation, praising the huge Cork support: 'They'll follow us to the end.'
As to whether he was feeling the pressure as he stepped up as the fourth Cork penalty taker, he played down the stakes.
'We just said, whatever happens, happens. We're after getting this far.'
And when Declan Hannon missed after him, his strike proved to be the clinching one.
Cork midfielder Darragh Fitzgibbon was another who showed he had ice in his veins. At the very end of extra time, he needed to convert a 65 to force penalties after an Aaron Gillane-inspired Limerick had come from a point down with just a couple of minutes to go to lead by one.
But Fitzgibbon was equal to the task, having taken over deadball duties from Patrick Horgan. And while he took the first Cork penalty and saw it saved, he tried to make sense of it all afterwards.
'It had everything really,' he said, speaking to RTE Sport. 'Two very good teams going at it. I'd say if we played that game 10 times over, it would be a different result every time. We're just really happy and grateful and delighted to be on the right side of it.'
It was a hugely intense and physical affair where the players put their bodies on the line from start to finish. Referee Thomas Walsh allowed plenty go and while the Cork management were upset at half-time over various calls and approached him – which prompted Limerick to do the same – the action stayed fast and furious until the end of regulation time and beyond.
It was so frenetic that even the referee had to be replaced after going down with cramp with James Owens deputising in extra time.
'I don't think people realise how fast it is at home and how high it is of a level,' added Fitzgibbon. 'That's credit to Limerick as well, they've brought the game to another level. They've raised everyone else's preparation and training to try and get to their level. And they've raised our training and preparation to get to their level.
'You can have nothing but respect for them and I'm sure they'll knuckle down and they'll be back.'
The Munster hurling final is like one of those UNESCO sites ……….. protect at all costs, untouchable.#MunsterFinal — Brian Flannery (@BrianJAFlannery) June 7, 2025
Does a tremendous final like this really have to be decided by penalties? Imagine the anticipation, the craic, and the buzz if we were looking forward to a replay! This is the price of the condensed season. Congrats to #Cork & #Limerick on providing a superb #MunsterFinal 👏👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/Uq802lfw3F — Des Cahill (@sportsdes) June 7, 2025
He insisted they won't lose the run of themselves after this.
'You just can't get too up or too down. The talk after the league final was a bit crazy. But us, in our camp, we didn't get too up or too down. The talk after we lost a few weeks ago was a bit negative but we didn't let it affect us.
'We know after today's result the talk will probably get crazy again. But look, we know that we need to knuckle down. We've got two huge games to get to where we want to get to. And we'll prepare accordingly.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
an hour ago
- The 42
5 talking points after Cork defeat Limerick on night of epic Munster final drama
1. A Gaelic Grounds night of drama A Munster final unfolding on a Saturday evening marked a change in the established hurling order. A marathon affair that delivered extra-time and required penalties to produce a winner added further novelty to the occasion. The gripping night of hurling action eventually provided an outcome, Cork jubilant victors after Alan Connolly lashed home his penalty, Limerick's reign in the province finally broken on the tightest of margins. It is a game that will sit comfortably in the catalogue of memorable Munster hurling finals. The play was scrappy at times, neither team will be pleased with their shooting for instance with Cork's accuracy off at stages in the opening period and Limerick uncharacteristically askew in that area in extra-time. But the tension was palpable throughout the contest and for the sheer unrelenting drama that ran through the end of normal time, extra-time and the shootout, this was epic stuff. Limerick's goalkeeper Nickie Quaid clears the balll. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO ***** 2. Cork's remarkable turnaround 20 days on, Cork's post-match mood had flipped sharply as their team bus left the Ennis Road last night. The May round-robin encounter saw them receive a sobering lesson in Limerick's capabilities as they ruthlessly mowed Cork down to win by 16 points. The June provincial final was different, Cork executing a striking turnaround as they coped with a bunch of injuries and found a way to survive by drawing level at the close of normal time and extra time. In the shootout Cork had the more clinical streak and that was sufficient to land a first Munster crown in seven years. Advertisement Cork's performance and attitude was totally different on this occasion as they fronted up against Limerick. The tone was set early on – newcomer Diarmuid Healy alert to set up Patrick Horgan to point, Cormac O'Brien rising to grab a puckout over Gearoid Hegarty, the defence collectively harrying Aaron Gillane to turnover possession before Ciaran Joyce created a point for Seamus Harnedy. Those snapshots in the first five minutes confirmed Cork's mood had changed, the aggression and graft that are critical components for any team hoping to take down Limerick, were present here after being sorely missing a few weeks ago. Cork's Ciarán Joyce celebrates after the game. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO ***** 3. Limerick's issue in front of goal Penalties was the method by which Limerick's era of Munster hurling dominance was ended, but there were other incidents prior to the shootout that will spark regret. Afterwards John Kiely touched a few times on the theme of his side's shooting in front of goal. It was striking how the number of chances they created was low by their elevated standards and how their accuracy was jarringly off on other occasions. In normal time Limerick took just 28 shots from play and scored 2-15. Last year's round-robin rollercoaster in Páirc Uí Chaoimh saw Cork become the first team to take more shots than Limerick since Kiely took charge. The rough principle Limerick have focused on is reaching the 40-shot mark to meet their 30-point target, but last night they fell down. Contributing factors included Cork's greater defensive tenacity and a wind at the venue that was tricky to judge. But Limerick also had chances that you would normally expect them to nail. Aaron Gillane's late shot in normal time was from a very difficult angle given his free-taking style, yet Darragh O'Donovan's underhit shot moments later indicated his rustiness due to lack of recent gametime as he has recovered from injury. In extra-time the wide count was 6-1 in Limerick's favour, chances arising for Kyle Hayes, Gillane, and Adam English that they would be favoured to convert. The misses meant there was little separation between the teams and Cork hung in there before getting the job done in the shootout. Limerick's Cian Lynch. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO ***** 4. Cork heroes off the bench At the end of an edgy and nervous afternoon a fortnight ago, Cork found an extra gear off the bench to overcome Waterford as they prolonged their summer involvement. Diarmuid Healy, Conor Lehane, and Shane Kingston all grabbed a point apiece that day. Healy's reward was a start last night and he repaid that investment of faith with three points in a strong showing. It was Kingston and Lehane that really lifted Cork to another level though during their cameos. Kingston was brought on in the 65th minute and Lehane introduced in the 72nd minute. When the match pushed on into extra-time, they exploded to life. Cork hit seven points in that phase, Kingston grabbed three of those and Lehane clipped over two. The Midleton man was also fouled for a free Darragh Fitzgibbon pointed and took a shot that hit the upright with Kingston knocking over the rebound. For two players who have drawn their share of criticism during Cork careers marked by inconsistency, their contributions were towering in shaping this victory. They infused Cork's challenge with the attacking energy and class that dragged them over the line. In the shootout they also delivered, both netting with Lehane's effort particularly impressive given the pressure at that stage as Limerick were ahead 2-0. Other players fell into similar brackets. For their defensive work, Damien Cahalane and Mark Coleman have both received sharp scrutiny but they were hugely prominent in the Cork rearguard throughout. Tommy O'Connell also jumped off the bench to point for Cork, while another substitute Robbie O'Flynn assisted for two points. All those details added up for Cork. Cork's Shane Kingston, Brian Hayes and Patrick Horgan celebrate. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO ***** 5. Limerick head down a different path The outlook for Limerick changes a little now. After six years of control in Munster finals and booking a direct route to the last four, their journey will be more circuitous. A quarter-final beckons against Dublin or the Joe McDonagh Cup champions, instead of the four-week break they have grown accustomed to. The staggering record under Kiely's stewardship in finals has changed – after 14 wins across All-Ireland, Munster and league, they were defeated in a decider at the 15th attempt. There will be a sense of disappointment at not finishing out the game at the end of normal time and extra-time, an element of frustration at the amount of injury-time played. Kiely promised Limerick will regroup and come back refreshed. The result changes their national route but not their status as serious All-Ireland contenders. When the heavyweight July showdowns take place in Croke Park, it's difficult not to see them being involved.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rival managers differ on referee changeover as Cork end Limerick's Munster reign
Limerick 2-27 Cork 1-30 AET - Cork win 3-2 on penalties. A 15th final for John Kiely as Limerick manager and a first defeat. Well, kind of. His side were leading at the end of normal time and extra time only for Cork to get the scores to force an extra 20 minutes and, ultimately, penalties, where they came unstuck. It was the first time a top tier hurling Championship game was decided in this fashion, which wouldn't be satisfactory to many and, indeed, the Munster Council wouldn't have been averse to a replay and surely another sellout at Páirc Uí Chaoimh after 43,580 paid in here. But, in the end, Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly scored their penalties for Cork, rendering Darragh Fitzgibbon's miss irrelevant in the end as Barry Murphy, Tom Morrissey and Declan Hannon failed to find the target for Limerick after Diarmaid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane had dispatched their first two. 'I think everybody would agree that it's in normal play that a game should be finished,' said Kiely. 'But listen, these are the rules, these are the procedures and we have to go with that, you know. 'Fair play to Cork. They took the penalties when it came around. In fairness to Pat [Ryan], Pat has done a fantastic job with that Cork team and, you know, to come down here and to get a win, is a serious achievement in a Munster final and we have to acknowledge that.' Kiely and his Cork counterpart Ryan made eight substitutions each over the course of the evening but there was another required on top of that as linesman James Owens had to take the whistle from Thomas Walsh in the first half of extra time, the Waterford official going down seemingly with cramp. There was a feeling that Walsh had refereed the game too loosely, but implicit in Kiely's praise of his performance was criticism of how Owens assumed the role. That injury time at the end of extra time extended beyond three minutes, allowing Fitzgibbon to convert a 65 to bring the tie to penalties, was one bone of contention for Kiely. 'I'd have to go and study it and watch it,' he said. 'You know, I thought Thomas did a great job, you and it was a pity that he got injured. But I thought he did a fantastic job. 'So, you know, we have to move on now. That's the end of the Munster Championship for us. I'm very, very happy with our performance levels right throughout the Munster Championship. 'We'll reset, we'll take a little breather now for the next few days, and I've no doubt the men in that dressing room will regroup, dust themselves down, and will really want to push forward now and, you know, be the very best that they can be in the remainder of this Championship.' The rival managerial camps had both made for Walsh at half-time of normal time amid a questionable call that had gone in Limerick's favour just before the whistle, and Ryan wasn't so perturbed about the subsequent transition from Walsh to Owens. 'I'll tell you now, that game was going so long now, I didn't notice, I couldn't tell you about referees or things,' said the Cork boss. 'What you're doing is you're just fighting tooth and nail for every ball.' For Ryan and Cork, while nobody seriously believed that they were 16 points worse than Limerick after losing to them by that margin three weeks earlier and a response from them was always likely, it was still a notable feat to return to the Gaelic Grounds and contain them when they had been so rampant. 'To be honest, we were just focused on coming up here and really going to battle with Limerick and represent the jersey, represent our people,' said Ryan. 'The last day, the people are spending money to come up here and we didn't give them any value for money the last day. I think both teams gave fierce value for money to their supporters today and to everyone.' In terms of entertainment, it was certainly a game that kept people engaged throughout, though the quality was lacking on both sides and Kiely acknowledged that afterwards. He added: 'I think both teams possibly didn't hit the markers that they might have been hoping to hit. I think both will look back on their performance and feel it could have been better. 'All you can do is do your best. And I thought that our boys gave absolutely everything they had in the tank and I can, you only be proud of that. I think we'll regroup, we'll refresh, we'll come again.' LIMERICK: Nickie QUAID 7; Seán FINN 7, Dan MORRISSEY 7, Mike CASEY 7; Diarmaid BYRNES (0-1f) 6, Kyle HAYES 7, Barry NASH 7; Adam ENGLISH (0-3) 7, William O'DONOGHUE 6; Gearóid HEGARTY (0-2) 7, Cian LYNCH 7, Tom MORRISSEY (0-2) 7; Aaron GILLANE (0-9, 0-7f) 8, Aidan O'CONNOR (1-1) 6, David REIDY (0-3) 7. Subs: Shane O'Brien (1-2) for O'Connor (42), Peter Casey (0-1) for Reidy (55), Cathal O'Neill (0-1) for Tom Morrissey (55), Darragh O'Donovan (0-1) for O'Donoghue (65), Declan Hannon (0-1) for Byrnes (70), Barry Murphy for M Casey (70), Tom Morrissey for Hegarty (79), Byrnes for Lynch (90+4). CORK: Patrick COLLINS 7; Damien CAHALANE (0-1) 6, Eoin DOWNEY (0-1) 6, Sean O'DONOGUE 6; Mark COLEMAN 7, Ciarán JOYCE 7, Cormac O'BRIEN 6; Tim O'MAHONY (0-1) 7, Darragh FITZGIBBON (0-4, 0-1f, 0-1 '65') 8; Diarmuid HEALY (0-3) 8, Shane BARRETT (1-3) 8, Séamus HARNEDY (0-2) 7; Patrick HORGAN (0-7, 0-4f) 7, Brian HAYES (0-1) 7, Alan CONNOLLY (0-1) 6. Subs: Robert Downey for O'Brien (54), Tommy O'Connell (0-1) for O'Mahony (59), Shane Kingston (0-3) for Connolly (65), Robbie O'Flynn for Harnedy (68), Conor Lehane (0-2) for Horgan (70+3), Niall O'Leary for O'Donoghue (72), Brian Roche for Healy (80), Connolly for Coleman (84). REFEREE: Thomas Walsh (Waterford), James Owens (Wexford). QUOTE ME ON THAT 'There's no dress rehearsal for this. There's no practising for this. It's just put your best foot forward and you know, you're taking a shot on behalf of the group. It's not on the lads.' Limerick manager John Kiely. STAR MAN - Aaron Gillane (Limerick) Not a game of outstanding individual performances and not one of Gillane's most prolific days, but so many scores came off him, including a deft set-up for Shane O'Brien's goal. AN OTHER - Darragh Fitzgibbon (Cork) A fine performance from the Cork midfielder, who coolly slotted the 65 to ensure penalties, only to miss one in the shootout himself. Thankfully for him, his teammates bailed him out. UP NEXT LIMERICK: All-Ireland quarter-final, June 21. CORK: All-Ireland semi-final, July 5.
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I found David Beckham's wallet, his reply surprised me when I asked for reward'
Basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal once stumbled upon David Beckham's wallet lying on the ground - and joked about charging a massive sum for its return. The two have been friends for years, having met during Beckham's time with the LA Galaxy in Los Angeles, California. Shaq, who previously played for the LA Lakers, recalled that he initially thought about keeping the cash he found, but changed his mind once he realised who the wallet belonged to. "I was walking one day in Beverly Hills and I found a wallet," the 53-year-old recalled during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. "Usually when I find wallets, I just take all the money out and I just throw them," he joked. "But this was a nice wallet." After noticing Beckham's ID inside, he chose to pull a light-hearted stunt on the football legend by posing as someone who wanted a reward. "First I played a joke," the American said. "I was like, 'I have your wallet, it's going to cost you a million dollars to get it back'. But he knew it was me. [Beckham said] 'Shaq, stop playing'. I was like 'Dave, I found your wallet'. The funny thing is he [Beckham] said, 'There was some money in this wallet, you know what happened?' And I was like, 'Nope.'" Shaq, who ended his basketball career in 2012, is recognised as one of the sport's greatest figures, Mirror UK reports. Towering at 7ft 1in, he secured four NBA titles - three with the Lakers during the Kobe Bryant era and one with the Miami Heat. In 2000, he was honoured as NBA MVP and earned 15 All-Star appearances over a distinguished career that also included stints with the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. Beckham wrapped up his professional football career a year after O'Neal in 2013, after playing for elite clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and PSG. He also represented England 115 times and wore the captain's armband for six years. Though now based in the UK with his wife Victoria, Beckham still travels frequently across the Atlantic. He is a part-owner of MLS franchise Inter Miami, who made headlines in 2023 by signing Lionel Messi. For the latest news and breaking news visit Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time. We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and
