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Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Fan fury as Cork hurlers claim first Munster title in seven years
Munster hurling fans are up in arms after Cork claimed their first Munster title in seven years following a penalty shoot-out against six-in-a-row champions Limerick. The Treaty City hosted the Rebels at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening, with the Cork side looking to redeem themselves after being beaten by Limerick just weeks previous. After 70 minutes of play finished on a draw, extra time was called, with the additional 20 minutes also proving incapable of separating the sides thanks to a last-second point from Charleville man Darragh Fitzgibbon. Darragh Fitzgibbon of Cork is tackled by Michael Casey and William O'Donoghue of Limerick during the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile After a 16-point beating last month, the Rebels were victorious, winning the shootout 3-2 to be crowned Munster Champions. Cork manager Pat Ryan admitted his side 'didn't fight the last time' but had 'worked [and] fought really hard.' 'It just took penalties to separate us and we're just delighted to get the trophy,' he said, 'We know that we're a really, really good team. Cork manager Pat Ryan admitted his side 'didn't fight the last time' but had 'worked [and] fought really hard.' Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile 'But it's the same with every other team, there's loads of good teams out there and it's all about the attitude you bring and whether you're going to fight.' The Glanmire native added that while he was missing a few lads, some substitutions throughout the game helped to 'freshen up the team.' The manager admitted that the Rebels hadn't been practicing penalties that much as a team, adding that the lads had likely practiced a lot individually. Thrilled to see Cork win tonight but I'd agree with @sportsdes It's almost sacrilegious to see the Munster Championship decided on a penalty shoot-out . Those are the cards we are dealt with a condensed inter-county season.#rebelsabu #MunsterFinal ⬇️ — Joe Seward (@JoeSeward1) June 7, 2025 Fans took to X to have their say on the nail-biting game, with many disappointed to see the game won on penalties. Sports broadcaster Des Cahill said: '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! Replay deserved! Neither team should be loosing that way! There has to be a better way than peno! It's #Hurling for god sake! #GAA #MunsterFinal #Limerick #Cork — Julian (@mayojg74) June 7, 2025 'This is the price of the condensed season. Congrats to Cork & Limerick on providing a superb #MunsterFinal.' Another added: 'Thrilled to see Cork win tonight but I'd agree with @sportsdes It's almost sacrilegious to see the Munster Championship decided on a penalty shoot-out. Those are the cards we are dealt with a condensed inter-county season #rebelsabu #MunsterFinal.' Everyone giving out that penalties are not a good way to decide the #MunsterFinal Remember the GAA and supporters of the condensed season created this absurd mess — Fran Mallon (@FranMallon1) June 7, 2025 A third shared: 'Replay deserved! Neither team should be losing that way! There has to be a better way than a peno! It's #hurling for god sake.' A fourth pointed out: 'Everyone giving out that penalties are not a good way to decide the #MunsterFinal. 'Remember the GAA and supporters of the condensed season created this absurd mess.' There were also those who claimed that the referee was too lenient in the fixture, with some even suggesting that one team was favoured over another. However, it seems as though for every Cork fan who thought Limerick were getting preferential treatment, an equal amount felt the opposite was the case. Cork now advance to the All Ireland semi-finals while Limerick enter the quarter-final stages.
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'First stop will be Charleville!' - man of the match Darragh Fitzgibbon relishing Rebels' victory
Official man-of-the-match Darragh Fitzgibbon said he would never have lived it down had he missed the 65 that sent the game to penalties. The Charleville clubman is too close to the Limerick border. He also noted that striving to be as good as their near neighbours has made Cork a better team. 'I knew I was a bit far out for the first free but there was a strong wind and I said I would have a go. Then, the 65, I knew I had to try and nail it. Being so close to Limerick I would never have heard the end of it. I had to score it. 'I have nothing but respect for Limerick for what they've done, six Munster titles in-a-row, four All-Irelands in-a-row and another All-Ireland on to that. They've raised everyone else's level in the country. Everyone tries to get to their level and they've made us better. 'It was two great teams going at it. If you played it probably 10 more times there could have been a different result. But thank God we're on the right side and it is just a great feeling. 'It is a privilege to put on the Cork jersey everyday. Just living your dream really with all of these lads. Trying to make the most of it while you have it because you don't have it for too long.' There was no problem getting psyched up following last month's sub-standard display. 'Of course we were pumped up but if you can't get up for a Munster final you don't deserve to be there. We stayed level headed, we don't get too up or we don't get too down. We won't get too up unless we lift the Liam McCarthy Cup. 'We know we are a long way away from that but it is a reward for all the players. Munster is so hard. Then you come up against one of the greatest teams in their home patch. We gave it our all and it is just great to be on the right side of it. 'Four weeks off is great, important to get the bodies right. Munster championship is a gruelling campaign. We'll just relax now for a few days and we will get back training. 'We know as a group we still have two steps to where we want to go and we'll take nothing for granted.' When asked if he knew he was going to be one of the five players taking a penalty, he answered with a smile, 'as you can see from my penalty I didn't practice any of them. 'First stop will be Charleville! Read More Player ratings: how Cork and Limerick fared in Munster final epic
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Cork end Limerick's Munster dominance after epic battle at the Gaelic Grounds
Munster Hurling Final: Cork 2-27 Limerick 1-30 AET (Cork win 3-2 on penalties) Cork are the new Munster hurling champions, an unexpected outcome that sent hordes of their delirious supporters, in a crowd of 43,580, on to the pitch at the Gaelic Grounds, as Robert Downey accepted the Mick Mackey Cup. Dismissed as having no more realistic ambitions than making inroads into the 16-point mauling suffered at the hands of Limerick less than three weeks previously, their understrength team rallied magnificently to confound the serial champions. It took penalties, a first ever shoot-out in a provincial final, to separate the teams at the end but by hanging on when it looked as if the champions had irresistible momentum in the second half and indeed after Darragh Fitzgibbon had seen their first penalty saved by Nickie Quaid, the new champions were well deserving of their 55th Munster title. The final was a smouldering, frantic affair, loosely refereed by Thomas Walsh, who went down with cramp in extra time and was replaced by James Owens. READ MORE It included an ill-tempered confrontation between the backroom teams at half-time, which will presumably attract the attention of the disciplinary authorities. Cork's goalkeeper Patrick Collins saves a penalty to win the game. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho After the near humiliation of the group match, Cork were viewed by many as akin to a political party, having suffered a landslide defeat and needing two more elections to catch up. Happily, hurling isn't politics and this match was completely different in its dynamic, respective performances and crucially, outcome. Although their bench appeared to compare unfavourably with the multiple All-Ireland winning opponents' reserves, it was the Cork auxiliaries who proved decisive, providing 0-6 of their extra-time scores, the lion's share from Shane Kingston (0-3) and Conor Lehane (0-2), who also hit penalties in the shoot-out. For John Kiely, it was a first defeat in 14 senior finals, spanning leagues, provincial championships and All-Irelands. Having posted a powerfully authoritative display in the group match, which matched their best efforts of recent years, this was a more fallible performance. They hit crucial wides when faced with the prospect of pulling away and winning a seventh successive Munster title, particularly in extra time when they looked a tired collective and even in the penalty shoot-out when their last three efforts were weary strikes. Limerick's Gearoid Hegarty with Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Cork brought a greater urgency to their efforts both in defence and in attack, getting pressure on Limerick and disrupting the smooth patterns that had effectively monopolised the previous meeting. They started with intent, opening a three-point lead in the first six minutes and even though they were reeled back in on many occasions, always responded either to equalise or nudge back in front. An attack that managed just 0-3 from play in the entire 70 minutes on the last day out had 1-10 from play by half-time, at which point they led by four, 1-14 to 1-10. The goals had spiced up exchanges, first Aidan O'Connor equalising 1-5 to 0-8 in the 20th minute after a pinpoint ball from Cian Lynch had given him a run at Eoin Downey. His batted effort beat Patrick Collins at the near post. Seven minutes later, a Cork attack ended with Brian Hayes, under real pressure, slipping the ball out to Shane Barrett, who whipped it sharply into the net, putting his team 1-9 to 1-7 ahead. Having regained the initiative, they pulled away by half-time. There had been fine individual moments, especially from debutant Diarmuid Healy, who would finish with 0-3 from play. Referee Thomas Walsh receives assistance from Limerick's Adam English after suffering cramp during extra time. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Limerick were unable to establish the same puck-out domination even with the wind in the second half, but with the half-forward line of Tom Morrissey, Cian Lynch and Gearóid Hegarty, the Shannonsiders had their go-getters. It was Hegarty, who launched a quick free into the forwards, which Gillane got to and cleverly kicked the ball into Shane O'Brien. The replacement finished emphatically and tied the match at 2-13 to 1-16 after Cork had largely protected the lead in the third quarter. It went point for point for most of the remainder of the contest. When Limerick appeared to be making good the momentum of their goal, Cork kept hitting back. It was all hands on deck with points on the evening for two of their full-back line, veteran Damien Cahalane and Eoin Downey. Limerick lost the better chances. Aaron Gillane had a free before the end of normal time to win it but Horgan also was ready to fire a point when blocked by Kyle Hayes, who was less imposing on this occasion than he had been in May. It was the wides in extra time that really cost the champions. They managed six, some of them really poor shot selection, whereas Cork had just one, a free attempt from Fitzgibbon, who nonetheless had a storming match at centrefield, making up for his subdued outing at centre forward three weeks previously. Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon celebrates scoring a late point to take the game to penalties. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho It was who took on the final act of extra time, a 65, awarded when the usually flawless Nickie Quaid spilled a long-range free from the same player and it went out of play. It cleared the bar, wiping out Gillane's free for a foul on Cathal O'Neill, which briefly looked to have taken the champions home. Their manager, John Kiely, was unhappy at James Owens playing well over the allotted one minute of injury-time at the end but there had been stoppages within time added on. Finally, the dice were rolled with the first penalty shoot-out in MacCarthy Cup history. Diarmuid Byrnes scored first and Fitzgibbon fired his straight at Quaid before Gillane made it 2-0. But from then on the champions were curiously lacking in conviction and Cork seemingly energised, as they seized the day. LIMERICK: N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, M Casey; D Byrnes (0-1f), K Hayes, B Nash; A English (0-3), W O'Donoghue; G Hegarty (0-2), C Lynch, T Morrissey (0-2); A Gillane (0-9, 7f), A O'Connor (1-1), D Reidy (0-3). Subs: S O'Brien (1-2) for O'Connor (42 mins), P Casey (0-1) for Reidy, C O'Neill for T Morrissey (both 55), D O'Donovan (0-1) for O'Donoghue (65), B Murphy for M Casey, D Hannon (0-1) for Byrnes (both e-t), D Morrissey for Hegarty (79), D Byrnes for Lynch (90). Penalties: Byrnes, Gillane, Murphy (wide), T Morrissey (saved), Hannon (wide). CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane (0-1), E Downey (0-1), S O'Donoghue; M Coleman, C Joyce, C O'Brien; T O'Mahony (0-1), D Fitzgibbon (0-4, 1f, 65); D Healy (0-3), S Barrett (1-3), S Harnedy (0-2); P Horgan (0-7, 4f, B Hayes (0-1), A Connolly (0-1). Subs: R Downey for O'Brien, T O'Connell (0-1) for O'Mahony (both 59 mins), S Kingston (0-3) for Connolly, R O'Flynn for Harnedy (both 65), C Lehane (0-2) for Horgan (70), N O'Leary for O'Donoghue (73), B Roche for Healy (80), A Connolly for Coleman (84). Penalties: Fitzgibbon (saved), Lehane, Kingston, Connolly. Referee: T Walsh (Waterford) replaced by J Owens (Wexford) from 73rd minute.
Irish Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Cork dethrone Limerick in epic Munster final to blow Championship wide open
Limerick 2-27 Cork 1-30 AET - Cork win 3-2 on have ended Limerick's long reign in Munster after a dramatic penalty shootout the teams deadlocked after extra time, penalties were needed to separate the sides - a first in top tier hurling Championship history - and Cork held their nerve to claim a first provincial title since 2018 and move into an All-Ireland semi-final, with Limerick's seven-in-a-row ambitions the shootout Cork blinked first when Darragh Fitzgibbon, who had sent the game to penalties, saw his effort saved by Nickie Quaid as Diarmaid Byrnes and Aaron Gillane converted for Barry Murphy (wide), Tom Morrissey (saved) and finally Declan Hannon (wide) all subsequently missed for the home side, with Conor Lehane, Shane Kingston and Alan Connolly on target to secure Cork's 55th Munster won the toss, Cork played with the elements in the first half as they looked to get a foothold rather than be cut adrift by half-time as happened on their previous visit three weeks a basic level, it worked as they led by four points at the break but the lead didn't quite feel like it was enough, particularly when Cork's nine first half wides were set aside Limerick's went 0-3 to 0-0 in front by the sixth minute, with two Patrick Horgan points and another from Seamus Harnedy, but within three minutes Limerick were level with Morrissey making a good start as he hit a pair of points either side of one from Aidan O'Connor, who was making his first Championship start. Cork's Diarmiud Healy, also making his full Championship bow, hit two points to settle himself and they were keeping Limerick at arm's reach without threatening to build a formidable lead, and the one they had was wiped out when O'Connor got in for a goal in the 20th rounded Eoin Downey too easily and goalkeeper Patrick Collins could probably have read his batted finish better as it squirmed past the foot of his near put Limerick ahead for the first time with his first of the day but, minutes after Brian Hayes's tame effort had been comfortably saved by Nickie Quaid, the St Finbarr's man's neat handpass allowed Shane Barrett to finish low to Quaid's left as Cork went two in front, eight minutes before the break.A run of three points from Barrett, Horgan and Fitzgibbon pushed them five clear but the half finished amid some controversy, with Cork boss Pat Ryan incensed that Hayes wasn't awarded a free, his sense of injustice all the more acute after David Reidy pointed at the far end to leave it 1-14 to 1-10 at two benches traded barbs and made their way for referee Thomas Walsh as soon as he sounded the half-time whistle, with argy-bargy breaking out between the rival temperature, if not the standard, of the game was raised in the second half as Walsh, having kept his cards in his pocket up to then, flashed five Limerick drew level with sub Shane O'Brien's 47th minute goal, after deft footpass from Gillane, it was set up for them to push on from there but they couldn't find the same spark that had set Cork ablaze three weeks earlier and it was the Rebels that led for the most part for the remainder of normal was never by more than a point, however, and extra time grew increasingly inevitable as the second half progressed, with neither side capable of putting together a sequence of scores to see the other sub, Darragh O'Donovan, put Limerick for the first time in the half in the 69th minute and it looked like it might have been a winner, but Horgan levelled it in the second of the four added then pushed a difficult free wide before Ciaran Joyce missed one at the far end and, from the resultant puckout, O'Donovan dropped an effort well short as Walsh signalled for extra time - 2-19 to was level once again at half-time in extra time as Cork subs Conor Lehane and Shane Kingston made a significant imprint, but victory looked to be Limerick's when Damien Cahalane's foul on O'Brien allowed Gillane to put them in front in the 92nd Cork had time to force a 65, with Fitzgibbon showing nerves of steel to force N Quaid; S Finn, D Morrissey, M Casey; D Byrnes (0-1f), K Hayes, B Nash; A English (0-3), W O'Donoghue; G Hegarty (0-2), C Lynch, T Morrissey (0-2); A Gillane (0-9, 0-7f), A O'Connor (1-1), D Reidy (0-3).Subs: S O'Brien (1-2) for O'Connor (42), P Casey (0-1) for Reidy (55), C O'Neill (0-1) for T Morrissey (55), D O'Donovan (0-1) for O'Donoghue (65), D Hannon (0-1) for Byrnes (70), B Murphy for M Casey (70), T Morrissey for Hegarty (79), Byrnes for Lynch (90+4).CORK: P Collins; D Cahalane (0-1), E Downey (0-1), S O'Donoghue; M Coleman, C Joyce, C O'Brien; T O'Mahony (0-1), D Fitzgibbon (0-4, 0-1f, 0-1 '65'); D Healy (0-3), S Barrett (1-3), S Harnedy (0-2); P Horgan (0-7, 0-4f), B Hayes (0-1), A Connolly (0-1).Subs: R Downey for O'Brien (54), T O'Connell (0-1) for O'Mahony (59), S Kingston (0-3) for Connolly (65), R O'Flynn for Harnedy (68), C Lehane (0-2) for Horgan (70+3), N O'Leary for O'Donoghue (72), B Roche for Healy (80), Connolly for Coleman (84).REFEREE: T Walsh (Waterford).
Irish Examiner
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Munster mayhem: Cork are champions after dramatic penalty shoot out in Limerick
Munster SHC final: Limerick 2-27 Cork 1-30 (AET, Cork win 3-2 on penalties) Cork are the Munster SHC champions for the first time in seven years after putting their 16-point defeat to Limerick last month well and truly behind in a historic final in TUS Gaelic Grounds. For the first time in Liam MacCarthy Cup history, a final went to penalties and when Darragh Fitzgibbon's opening penalty for Cork was saved by Nickie Quaid things looked tight for the visitors. However, Barry Murphy sent his strike wide and Tom Morrissey's hit was saved. After Alan Connolly converted his penalty, Limerick needed to make their next but Declan Hannon's effort dribbled wide and the realms of red in the 43,580 crowd were in raptures. On the back of their wily replacements Shane Kingston and Conor Lehane, Cork drove for the finish but their toil seemed to be in vain when Damien Cahalane committed a tired foul on Shane O'Brien. Aaron Gillane capitalised yet that was not the end. Nickie Quaid touched a ball out for a 65 and Darragh Fitzgibbon arrowed the placed ball between the sticks to force the unprecedented. The teams couldn't be divided at the turnaround of extra-time either. Opting to play with the wind for the first half of extra-time, Limerick went two up through substitute Declan Hannon in the opening seconds and Aaron Gillane converting a free he won. Referee Thomas Walsh had to retire with cramp and was replaced by stand-by official and linesman James Owens. With a Darragh Fitzgibbon free and a Kieran Kingston angled point, Cork were back on level terms and then Lehane, who had won the free, broke a ball to himself and found his range. After Kyle Hayes and Gillane wides, the latter sent over a free to make it 2-22 to 1-25 at the interval. Both teams went ahead in the second period and all the scorers were substitutes. Kingston's third point in the 88th minute was cancelled out by Cathal O'Neill after he had sent a strike wide before Cahalane's foul on Shane O'Brien gave Limerick what seemed to be the match-winning free. But Fitzgibbon was able to send the Munster final into unchartered territory. Diarmuid Healy of Cork in action against Barry Nash. Picture: John Sheridan/Sportsfile In the absence of a blistering start in normal time, a typical power quarter by Limerick was expected after the break as they trailed by four points. However, it wasn't until the introduction of Shane O'Brien that they drew level in the 47th minute. Cork were caught sleeping with a Gearóid Hegarty free finding Gillane who controlled the ball and fed O'Brien to finish emphatically. Limerick were unable to build on it, though. Five times Cork went ahead and each time Limerick cancelled out the lead. Darragh Fitzgibbon was the ringmaster in helping to keep Cork's noses in front but another Limerick alternation, Darragh O'Donovan, broke that pattern in the 69th minute. When Kyle Hayes blocked down Patrick Horgan's shot, it seemed the initiative was with Limerick only for Hayes's namesake Brian to aerobically push the ball out to Horgan for the equaliser in the second minute of additional time. There was time for Gillane to fling a free wide, Ciarán Joyce to do the same after Adam English had gifted him the ball and O'Donovan mishit an effort at the posts before Walsh called for the ball and the teams returned to their dressing rooms. As they did last month, Cork won the toss but Shane Barrett on this occasion elected to be backed up by the breeze and their half-time lead of four points, 1-14 to 1-10, told some of that tale. All the same, it didn't tell anything about how Cork operated a shoot-on-sight policy for a large portion of the half and posted nine wides and dropped a couple of shots short. Or the goal chances that went abegging outside Barrett's 27th minute goal. Or the dubious tackling Limerick's full-back line were getting away with towards the end of the half. Cue the half-time row between management members involving the managers as well as selectors Liam Cronin and Wayne Sherlock. Cork were getting little but then Limerick only won their first free in the 17th minute. Cork began well but the unnoticed runs of Tom Morrissey were undoing a lot of their good work and the Ahane man had two points inside the first nine minutes and struck two wides in the first 11. Back-to-back Diarmuid Healy points put Cork on a solid footing although Cian Lynch was masterful in the air when he strayed over to both wings. Seamus Harnedy, who was finding plenty of space himself, struck his second point to put Cork 0-8 to 0-5 ahead in the 18th minute but there was a let-off for Cork when Eoin Downey was adjudged not to have fouled Adam English when the Limerick midfielder made for goal. Limerick forgot about that quickly when O'Connor batted a goal in the 20th minute. Eoin Downey could have done a lot better in preventing him though and Patrick Collins's attempt at a denial wasn't much to write home about either. Brian Hayes had a goal attempt kept out in the 24th minute but he made amends less than three minutes later when he had the wherewithal to absorb a foul while passing out to Barrett who found the net and Cork were back in front, two ahead. Collins kept out Hegarty soon after and Cork scored two of the next three points to lead by three. However, Walsh was giving them little close to the Limerick goal in the way of frees. Hayes had another attempt stopped in the 33rd minute and Horgan's hurley was held as he tried to follow it up. Cork did send over the next three scores to lead by five prior to David Reidy's third of the half ending the period. Penalty goals for Limerick: D. Byrnes, A. Gillane. Penalty goals for Cork: C. Lehane, S. Kingston, A. Connolly. Scorers for Limerick: A. Gillane (0-9, 7 frees); S. O'Brien (1-2); A. O'Connor (1-1); D. Reidy, A. English (0-3 each); T. Morrissey, G. Hegarty (0-2 each); D. Byrnes (free), D. O'Donovan, D. Hannon, P. Casey (0-1 each). Scorers for Cork: P. Horgan (0-7, 4 frees); S. Barrett (1-3); D. Fitzgibbon (0-4, 1 free, 1 65); D. Healy, S. Kingston (0-3 each); S. Harnedy, C. Lehane (0-2 each); D. Cahalane, T. O'Mahony, A. Connolly, B. Hayes, E. Downey, T. O'Connell (0-1 each). LIMERICK: N. Quaid; S. Finn, D. Morrissey, M. Casey; D. Byrnes, K. Hayes, B. Nash; A. English, W. O'Donoghue; G. Hegarty, C. Lynch (c), T. Morrissey; A. Gillane, A. O'Connor, D. Reidy. Subs for Limerick: S. O'Brien for A. O'Connor (42); P. Casey for D. Reidy, C. O'Neill for T. Morrissey (both 55); D. O'Donovan for W. O'Donoghue (65); D. Hannon for D. Byrnes, B. Murphy for M. Casey (both e-t); T. Morrissey for G. Hegarty (79); S. Flanagan for C. Lynch (temp 90+1 to 90+3); D. Byrnes for C. Lynch (80+4). CORK: P. Collins; D. Cahalane, E. Downey, S. O'Donoghue; M. Coleman, C. Joyce, C. O'Brien; T. O'Mahony, D. Fitzgibbon; D. Healy, S. Barrett (c), S. Harnedy; P. Horgan, B. Hayes, A. Connolly. Subs for Cork: R. Downey for C. O'Brien (54); T. O'Connell for T. O'Mahony (59); S. Kingston for A. Connolly (65); R. O'Flynn for S. Harnedy (68); C. Lehane for P. Horgan (70+3); N. O'Leary for S. O'Donoghue (72); B. Roche for D. Healy (e-t h-t); A. Connolly for M. Coleman (inj 84). Referee: T. Walsh (Waterford).
