Queally 'irritated' as Ryan demands better effort for Cork's Limerick return
Cork 2-25 Waterford 1-22
It may not be moving as smoothly as it was a few weeks back, but the Cork machine trundles on nonetheless.
Five points from a possible eight, with their only defeat coming against the game's dominant force of recent years, is a decent return on the face of things, but there are various caveats to Cork's Munster round robin campaign.
Their most impressive showing, by a distance, came in the first half against Clare but they allowed their huge lead to be reeled in in the second half and were relieved to emerge with a point in the end.
They beat Tipperary well but that was against 14 men, while they were wiped out by Limerick.
In this game, they never looked like losing it at any stage and laid the foundation for the victory with a gritty first half display when playing into a very strong wind a SuperValu Pairc Ui Chaoimh. But they had 20 missed shots and got sloppy at times in the second half, leaving the door ajar for Waterford who, to their credit, stuck to their task when it appeared that they would be swamped.
Not that that is any consolation to their manager Peter Queally as a campaign that promised much after an opening win over All-Ireland champions Clare ended in all too familiar fashion as Waterford once again failed to extend their season to June, making it the sixth time out of six that they haven't managed a top three finish in the Munster round robin.
'We had our hearts set on coming out of Munster this year and hurling for the summer,' said Queally. 'Unfortunately we've just come up short again so we're very much licking our wounds and disappointed.'
Conor Prunty, captain for the day with Dessie Hutchinson dropped, won the toss and opted to play with the considerable elements in the first half and it looked a wise choice as they went 0-5 to 0-1 after 10 minutes, but Cork responded with three points in quick succession and didn't let Waterford away from them for the rest of the half.
Waterford felt they should have had a black card/penalty call in their favour in the seventh minute when Stephen Bennett was brought down by a combination of Mark Coleman and Sean O'Donoghue, but referee Johnny Murphy only awarded a free.
Bennett, perhaps, trying to over-compensate, went for goal but his effort was easily blocked.
'I thought we did a good hurling in the first half but I wouldn't have been happy with that,' said Queally. 'That was one decision. There were a number of decisions that would have really irritated us and I wouldn't be happy with that.'
Shane Barrett put Cork in front for the first time a 0-10 to 0-9 in the 29th minute and they maintained that position to the break, when they held a 0-13 to 0-12 advantage.
'Delighted,' said Cork boss Pat Ryan of his side's half. 'We had a lot of turnovers. We probably weren't using the ball well enough and our efficiency wasn't good enough.
'From our point of view the attitude was where we wanted it to be. That was a huge improvement on last week.'
Fifteen seconds after the restart, Brian Hayes netted the opening goal after Paddy Leavey was blocked down by Tim O'Mahony, who linked up with Darragh Fitzgibbon to present the St Finbarr's man with the opportunity.
The anticipated Cork onslaught from there didn't materialise, however, as stayed in touch, though a second goal, this time by Horgan after Prunty broke a Ger Millerick delivery into Hayes's path, in the 48th minute helped push the lead out to eight points.
But Stephen Bennett pulled one back with 12 minutes remaining and, within a minute, hit the butt of the Cork post, when another goal would have cut the lead to just a point.
'In fairness to the lads, they got off the canvas again and kept coming back,' Queally noted. 'We came back into it, a very good goal from Stephen. The crowd really got behind us, a bit of momentum and then the ball hit the butt of the post. Just very, very unfortunate. We had a lot of momentum at that stage.'
They couldn't generate enough of it from there, with Jamie Barron flashing another goal effort wide, and Cork hit four of the last five points to move, if not march, into a Munster final.
'We want to win it,' said Ryan. 'We're not winning enough trophies. We're trying to put things to bed, stuff we haven't won. It is a huge day. We had a huge support up in Limerick the last day and we left them down.
'We are under no illusions the challenge that is ahead of us but it is up to ourselves to make sure we represent the jersey better than we did that day and the result will take care of itself.'
CORK: Patrick COLLINS 6; Ger MILLERICK 7, Eoin DOWNEY 7, Seán O'DONOGHUE 8; Cormac O'BRIEN (0-1) 7, Ciarán JOYCE 7, Mark COLEMAN (0-1) 8; Tim O'MAHONY 7, Darragh FITZGIBBON (0-2, 0-1f) 7; Brian ROCHE 6, Shane BARRETT (0-3) 7, Séamus HARNEDY (0-3) 7; Patrick HORGAN (1-8, 0-8f) 6, Alan CONNOLLY (0-3) 7, Brian HAYES (1-1) 7.
Subs: Diarmuid Healy (0-1) for Roche (48), Luke Meade for O'Mahony (60), Shane Kingston (0-1) for Connolly (62), Damien Cahalane for Millerick (63), Conor Lehane (0-1) for Horgan (70+3), Tommy O'Connell for O'Brien (70+5).
WATERFORD: Billy NOLAN (0-1f) 6; Conor PRUNTY 8, Gavin FIVES 6, Ian KENNY 7; Tadhg DE BURCA 6, Mark FITZGERALD (0-1) 7, Kieran BENNETT (0-1) 6; Darragh LYONS 7, Paddy LEAVEY 6; Michael KIELY (0-2) 7, Jamie BARRON (0-1) 6, Jack PRENDERGAST (0-2) 7; Seán WALSH (0-3) 7, Stephen BENNETT (1-7, 0-7f) 6, Patrick FITZGERALD (0-3) 7.
Subs: Dessie Hutchinson (0-1) for Leavey (41), Kevin Mahony for Fitzgerald (51), Shane Bennett for Lyons (52), Austin Gleeson for Walsh (60).
REFEREE: Johnny Murphy (Limerick).
QUOTE ME ON THAT
'I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it. If I could find a better word I'd find it, but I thought there was a lot of twisted stuff around it.'
Cork manager Pat Ryan on the hype around his side.
STAR MAN - Mark Coleman (Cork)
There wasn't a swathe of contenders on what was a rather uninspiring game in a Munster Championship that has flattered to deceive - but Coleman was consistently efficient throughout.
AN OTHER - Séamus Harnedy (Cork)
A mixed afternoon for the Cork stalwart. Scored 0-3 and processed much ball in the first half as Cork played into the wind, but also coughed up four wides.
UP NEXT
CORK: Limerick (a), June 7.
WATERFORD: Season ends.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Everybody loves Leinster
Sir, – Following their United Rugby Championship (URC) semi-final win over Glasgow Warriors last weekend, Leinster second-row Joe McCarthy declared 'everyone loves to hate Leinster'. Post match, rugby commentator Donal Lenihan, a former Munster, Ireland and Lions great, considered McCarthy's comment 'over the top'. I agree. All true lovers of Irish rugby will rejoice if Leinster overcome the South African Bulls in Croke Park in today's URC final. Their considerable past achievements will hopefully be embellished by a long overdue win to reward the consistent brilliance which ought to be admired rather than envied. READ MORE Come on Leinster! – Yours, etc, PJ MCDERMOTT, Westport, Co Mayo.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Rory McIlroy scraps his way to making cut at US Open
The script turned nasty for the two pals, as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry – who'd started this 125th US Open with genuine ambitions – were cast as fall guys, forced to find an escape route out of an examination that asked one tough question after another. McIlroy survived. Lowry didn't. Frustration was evident in their behaviour as the pressure mounted, hole by hole, shot by shot. In McIlroy's case, it was a club throw down on the 12th hole after an iron approach to the Par 5 turned so that the ball nestled into the gnarly rough. The two-handed toss of the 3-iron some 20 yards down the fairway left nobody watching in any doubt as to his utter frustration. READ MORE On the 17th, it surfaced again when he smashed his 3-wood into the tee marker after pushing his shot into a greenside bunker, short-siding himself. There was a pair of them in it, sharing the frustration of the game; and the course! For Lowry, his frazzled mind played tricks on him. On the 14th green, he inexplicably bent down to pick up his ball without marking, a one stroke penalty for his actions turning what was a bogey into a double-bogey. Not that it truly mattered at that juncture, as Lowry's fate was well and truly sealed by then after a start to his round that saw him go bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey in his opening four holes. Shane Lowry of Ireland reacts to a bunker shot on the second hole during the second round of the US Open. Photograph:Somehow, McIlroy found a way to survive into the weekend. The task proved beyond Lowry. McIlroy ensured he would be around for the weekend – some nine shots behind 36-holes leader Sam Burns – after signing for a second round 72 for six-over-par 146, a shot inside the cutline. McIlroy showed his class when it matted on the Par 4 18th, standing on the tee box on the cutline, he unleashed a drive of 372 yards down the middle of the fairway and hit an approach in to five feet for a birdie. He calmly rolled in the putt, and gave a sigh of relief. It hadn't started so well. McIlroy could hardly afford to put a foot wrong in his bid to, firstly, make the cut, and, secondly, to try to play his way back into the championship. Rory McIlroy throws his club on the 12th hole during the second round of the US Open. Photograph:The misstep, though, came right from the off: his driver, so often the foundation in a season that has already claimed him three titles – the Pebble Beach pro-am, The Players and the Masters – was disobedient from the get-go, finding a fairway bunker down the left of the first hole as McIlroy started the second round with a double-bogey six. If that misdemeanour put McIlroy on the back foot from the off, worse was to follow. Another double-bogey six followed in quickstep time, on the third hole. This time, McIlroy's drive found a fairway bunker down the right. Having started his round four-over from an opening round 74, the world number two's challenge to survive had doubled before he knew it. A birdie from 30 feet on the ninth hole at least gave McIlroy some hope as he turned for home, only for another tee shot on the 11th to sneak into a fairway bunker down the left which led to another bogey. The club toss on 12 graphically showcased his frustration, where he would par the Par 5. Finally, McIlroy saw some light, as a 20-footer for birdie on the 15th brought him to 7-over for the championship (onto the cut line). Survival at least within reach. And he closed the deal magnificently on the final hole to get into the weekend's final two rounds and the chance to play pursuit of Burns and those ahead. Lowry, though, will have to wait until a return to Royal Portrush for next month's 153rd Open after a thoroughly disappointing return to Oakmont where he was runner-up in 2016. This time, a 78 second round to add to his opening 79 left him cast well adrift on 17-over-par 157.
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Josh Honohan makes amends to secure Shamrock Rovers win over Shelbourne
LOI: Shelbourne 1 (Honohan OG 32) Shamrock Rovers 2 (Cleary 12, Honohan 83) When Josh Honohan's football career eventually stops rising, he will remember the month of June in 2025. Called into the Republic of Ireland squad for friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg, a muscular injury sustained in training conspired to deny him a dream debut. An own goal appeared to cap a miserable week for the Cork man, until he blasted a late winner to silence the Tolka Park crowd and maintain Shamrock Rovers six-point lead at the top of the Premier Division . Shelbourne , the defending champions, are stranded in sixth, an gaping 12 points adrift of Rovers. READ MORE 'They know we're here, they know we're back,' said Shelbourne manager Damien Duff before kick-off. Maybe so, but it feels like Rovers' league to win again. Shelbourne manager Damien Duff during the game at Tolka Park. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/INpho Following a dreary international break, there were a bundle of stories bouncing around the scene this week. The managerial rivalry between Stephen Bradley and Duff has become as potent as the Ringsend derby itself, but the gaffers agreed on Friday that the break has refreshed their squads ahead of a busy summer of European football. Initially, Duff branded the pause as amateur. 'It came at the right time. The lads have had a chance to get fit, rest and focus on attacking the second half of the season.' They barely attacked the first half of this game. On 12 minutes, Shels' zonal marking at the set-piece was exposed by Jack Byrne's sumptuous free-kick as Dan Cleary timed his run across Mark Coyle to nod the ball into Conor Kearns' net. The goal silenced a lively full house and put Rovers firmly on course to capture a fifth title in six seasons. 'It's June,' Bradley reminded anyone willing to listen prematch. A long way to go, but still, the Hoops looked unbreakable with Pico Lopes taking no prisoners in defence. A lunging intercept by the Cape Verde international on 30 minutes denied John Martin a run on goal. Seconds later, the title race turned into a battle between Rovers and Bohemians, as Alan Reynolds' men were beating Cork City 2-0 at Turners' Cross. Shamrock Rovers' Dan Cleary celebrates scoring a goal. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Shelbourne equalised before half-time when a decent cross by Kameron Ledwidge led to Honohan's unforced error. If he was trying to score, it would have been a fine finish. Until Honohan's match winner, it had not been a great week. A random Galway United fan thought the defender was fair game for abuse during his solo session on the Stade de Luxembourg pitch after Ireland's 0-0 result last Tuesday. He reacted to that disappointment and the own goal by storming past Evan Caffrey into the Shels box, only for referee Robert Harvey to miss a blatant jersey tug by Caffrey. At 1-1, John Martin typified the game's intensity by chasing down a lost cause and denying Lee Grace from guiding the ball for a goal kick. Martin hurt himself making the tackle but he recovered to earn a yellow card for disrupting the subsequent throw-in. Duff was spitting fire on the line. By the turn, he had his sixth yellow card of the season after reacting to Coyle's booking for a foul on Danny Mandroiu after Lopes thundered through Kerr McInroy. That paragraph belongs in an All-Ireland Hurling final report. The unbridled passion might have something to do with Bradley being impressed by a recent leadership talk from Brian Cody. 'It was gold dust' said Bradley of the message imparted by the 11-time winning Kilkenny manager. Byrne continued to sprinkle his magic dust on the occasion, with a spinning delivery for Danny Grant to force a smart save by Kearns. Shamrock Rovers' Aaron McEneff. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho Shels maintained the pressure in the second half, with Byrne the latest to be cautioned for upending McInroy after Caffrey's shot was blocked by a clump of Rovers defenders. That was Shelbourne's first shot of the night. Rovers were already up to 11 efforts on goal, five finding the target. The lack of chances prompted Duff to unleash his usual strike force, Mipo Odubeko and Sean Boyd, but the tall forwards struggled to wrestle control from Cleary and Lopes. Cleary had a second headed goal disallowed on 70 minutes. Bradley and his players struggled to understand the match officials' reasoning. By then, Rovers had turned to Dylan Watts and Graham Burke to break the deadlock but it was Honohan who came forward to secure all three points. SHELBOURNE: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Wilson (Wood 69), Ledwidge, Norris; McInroy (Coote 81), Coyle (Lunney 69); Caffrey, Chapman (Boyd 58); Martin (Odubeko 58). SHAMROCK ROVERS: McGinty; Grant, Cleary, Lopes, Honohan (Clarke 86), Matthews (Grace 6); Healy, McEneff, Mandroiu (Burke 69), Byrne (Watts 69); Gaffney (Greene 69). Referee: Robert Harvey.
