GAA Roundup: Cork hurlers hang on

Not so long ago, a similar defeat would have left Waterford’s season in tatters, the county’s finest decommissioned for more than six months. But now the back door route to Croke Park means that manager Justin McCarthy and his players are still right in the hunt to achieve their own Holy Grail.
“Okay, so we have to go through the new system,” McCarthy reflected, “and those games are on in four weeks’ time. We’ll learn a lot, and fellas will be a bit sharper. It was a great display, a break of a ball here and there, so I can’t crib too much. Cork took advantage.”
That was it a nutshell. Cork began like the proverbial train, then slowed as Waterford found their rhythm, but in the end it was the reigning All-Ireland champions who had the self-belief to hold on for victory. McCarthy was right, there was little more than a bounce of the ball in the game.
Waterford know that Ken McGrath’s fitness worries will have receded by the time the qualifiers come around, just as they know that an uncharacteristic miss from a 20 yard free by Paul Flynn will hardly be repeated in a big game. McCarthy’s charges are not yet the finished article — an over-reliance for scores on Eoin Kelly and Flynn remains — but they remain a major threat.
As for Cork, they were more consistent, more patient.
“We try not to panic, it’s been drilled into us for the last few years,” said John Gardiner. “We believe in what we do and in the game plan. It pulls us through more often than not. We didn’t panic out there and we came though in the end.”
Yet they will wonder why, after such a storming start, did they let Waterford back into the contest. Six points clear during the first half on the back of a goal by Joe Deane inside the first minute, they somehow trailed by three at the interval. Fergal Hartley’s fumble gave Deane an easy chance, and Cork piled on the pressure with some great points from Jerry O’Connor and Niall McCarthy.
Then they could have been further ahead after Diarmuid O’Sullivan’s penalty fizzed over the bar following a foul by Hartley on Deane. But Waterford responded as Kelly began to get the better of Sean Og O hAilpin, and Flynn capitalised on an O’Sullivan error for his team’s first goal before Dan Shanahan drove in a second to make it 2-9 to 1-9 at the changeover.
“After 20 minutes or so we were a little bit content to live on that cushion,” explained Cork manager John Allen. “We showboated a bit, threw the ball around a bit too much. In the second half we were a little more direct.”
That change of attitude soon produced a goal for Brian Corcoran early in the second half when he angled his shot past Stephen Brenner. Corcoran built on that vital score with an outstanding point from the left wing and on the hour mark it was evident that Waterford had lost their momentum. They managed only six points, including four frees, after the break and not even the introduction of John Mullane or McGrath’s move into the attack could unsettle the Cork defense.
“We gave Cork a good start which was crazy,” said McGrath, “but then at least we showed what we’re capable of. It’s disappointing but not the end. I mean we’re not after winning so much that we’d pass up a Munster title. We’d love to have got to a fourth provincial final in a row, but it’s a different route.”
Perhaps, significantly, the same route as Cork had to take last year on their way to lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup.

TIPPERARY 2-13 LIMERICK 0-18 (extra-time)
“Lads, hurling’s gone out the window, this comes down to heart.”
Tipperary’s Tommy Dunne couldn’t have spoken more appropriate words before the start of extra-time as his county edged their way into the Munster hurling semi-final after last Saturday’s dramatic replay at the Gaelic Grounds.
Tipp girded their loins following the frustration of the drawn game, and they were more composed and more precise about what they did. But Limerick came so close and then lost their with several disastrous wides towards the end of extra-time.
“We’re gutted over it,” said manager Joe McKenna. “When you lose a replay in extra-time, what can you say? We never entertained losing.”
Limerick also rued their inability to filch a couple of goals from the proceedings. Overly reliant on TJ Ryan’s freetaking, they watched as Tipp introduced Ger O’Grady and Evan Sweeney from the subs’ bench, and were then powerless to prevent both players from scoring vital goals.
O’Grady’s came in the 27th minute, however, they should have been further in front than 1-7 to 0-8 at the break. Even though Dunne gave an outstanding performance that included four points from play, Tipp were never able to break out of Limerick’s tenacious grip.
Without any meaningful goal threat, and having replaced the entire half-forward line of Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Niall Moran and Conor Fitzgerald, Limerick clung on and Donie Ryan levelled the game at 1-11 to 0-14 in injury time.
Having taken the lead in extra-time, Limerick were then hit by Sweeney’s goal, and then Dunne and Eoin Kelly quickly added score to give Tipp a three-point lead. Tiring, Limerick failed to find the target with three gilt-edged chances as the game ebbed away from them.
“Goals win matches especially in extra-time,” shrugged McKenna, “but we had the best of it in the last 10 minutes. I felt if we could just keep in there tipping away we might even get the winning score.” They didn’t and they now head for the qualifiers, with Tipp meeting Clare on June 5.

OTHER GAMES
The scoreline of 4-14 to 0-14 looks bad for Dublin, and it was bad no matter how much optimism their manager Humphrey Kelleher continues to spin.
The Dubs felt they had a chance going into this Leinster hurling championship first round game against Laois at Nowlan Park last Sunday, but they were beaten out of sight.
It wasn’t enough to simply intone that goals win matches. Conceding four was bad enough, but going 28 minutes without raising a flag was much worse.
“There’s nothing harder than what’s going on here at the moment, to motivate those guys and keep them going,” said Kelleher, “but I know the young players are out there, and that’s the motivation behind me staying involved.”
Some of those youngsters had better emerge sharp because they are desperately needed. James Young had a goal for Laois as well as nine points, Damien Culleton hit two goals and Liam Tynan added another. Laois now meet Wexford in the semi-final on June 12.
Derry fought their way back from a five-point deficit to earn a 2-9 to 1-12 draw with Down in last Sunday’s Ulster hurling semi-final at Casement Park. A fine goal by Sean McBride inspired Derry’s recovery and the two teams meet again on Sunday for the right to play Antrim in the decider on June 5.

FOOTBALL

TYRONE 1-13 DOWN 1-6
Not quite as comfortable as the scoreline looks this Ulster football championship quarterfinal at Omagh. With just over a quarter of an hour remaining last Sunday, Down were level, and making a serious contest of it despite having to play second fiddle in terms both of possession and class. Then Tyrone manager Mickey Harte made his move.
If sending Peter Canavan into the action wasn’t exactly a stroke of genius, Harte’s timing worked wonders. Plagued by injuries for the best part of two seasons, Canavan looked fit and sharp and it was no coincidence that during his short, but influential, participation Tyrone outscored their opponents by 1-5 to 0-1.
Apart from lofting over two points himself, Canavan gave the final pass for two more and also contributed to Martin Penrose’s vital goal. Suddenly, Tyrone were moving with a rhythm and a smoothness that had been lack, suddenly, Sean Cavanagh was in the game. Footballing intelligence was at last grafted onto organization and desire.
“It wasn’t just the scores he got, it was the presence, the guile and the experience,” offered Harte. “It was a battle with 15 minutes to go and to be able to bring in Peter Canavan was nice. He was comfortable going in for that length of time. I mean, we’re no world beaters at this stage, we’re just like any other team trying to find our form.”
For a time, Down had exploited Tyrone’s rustiness. They were hardworking and tenacious, and in Benny Coulter they had exactly the sort of player to grab any half-chance that was going. After 20 minutes of being stifled, Coulter got away from Chris Lawn, connected with Dan Gordon’s lofted pass, and shot past Pascal McConnell.
That meant that Down were level — 1-4 to 0-7 — at the interval, and if not quite a travesty, it was no reflection of Tyrone’s supremacy. Owen Mulligan and Enda McGinley worked tirelessly for the winners, but they lacked the necessary inspiration until Canavan appeared.
Penrose was put through for his goal, Canavan set up Stephen O’Neill and Cavanagh for points, and there was more urgency and purpose about the Tyrone attack. One man doesn’t make a team, but sometimes one sub does.

LEITRIM 1-11 SLIGO 0-9
Without a championship victory at home since 1991, Leitrim made up for lost time last Sunday, when they defeated Sligo in the first round of the Connacht championship at Carrick-on-Shannon.
Not that this win was a thing of beauty, as Leitrim only really came good in the closing stages of a game played on a wet surface, but the county’s supporters celebrated raucously.
“If we play the way we did in the second half, we’ll be there or thereabouts against Galway in the semi-final,” forecasted John McKeon who kept Mark Breheny scoreless after the interval.
Earlier Sligo had looked comfortable enough as Sean Davey and Breheny picked off their scores, but the more Leitrim grew in confidence, the more ragged the losers became. They shot a bitterly disappointing 10 meter wides in the second half and failed to register a point during the last 20 minutes.
“We missed too many chances, and we let them off the hook,” said manager Dominic Corrigan quietly. Certainly, Sligo’s collapse was commensurate with Leitrim’s self-belief once John Goldrick pounced for a goal just before the changeover. Sub Darren Duignan fired over two superb points, while Michael McGuinness and McKeon shored up the defense.