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GAA Roundup Limerick hurlers stun Cork

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Mark Jones

Limerick 1-16, Cork 1-15

Surely in the hard-bitten world of modern Gaelic games, no one dreams the impossible dream any more. Certainly not the Limerick hurlers, who had fallen at the first hurdle in each of the three previous Munster Championships. Not a young, inexperienced team up against the reigning provincial champions in their own fortress of Pairc Ui Chaoimh. It just couldn’t happen, but then on Sunday it did.

This clash was billed as the start of Ireland’s sporting summer, and if it was a appetizer, then we’re in for a season of gastronomic delight. Cork arrived with a deserved swagger and left crushed, bemused and without their manager, Tom Cashman, who announced his retirement after the final whistle.

Limerick confounded the hurlers on the ditch with a display of such relentless energy and skill that they must have even surprised themselves. Six points clear of a lethargic Cork at the interval, they found themselves one point in arrears with 10 minutes left as the home side delivered an expected charge. It was level with a couple of minutes remaining when Barry Foley clipped over an immaculate sideline cut from the left which decided a dramatic contest and sent the Limerick supporters in a crowd of 38,000 into raptures.

While the winning manager, Eamonn Cregan, wanted to pay tribute to his players, it was a vindication for someone who had experienced those successive Munster defeats in 1998, ’99 and 2000. To make the moment sweeter, his unheralded team had beaten Cork in their own back yard.

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"The players were so determined and so quiet before the game, that’s what impressed me," he said. "Of course, if it had gone a point against us, I wouldn’t be saying this now. But we won and it’s history."

And that little bit of history looked like being made during the first half as Limerick stormed into the lead. Their attack positively bristled as Brian Begley, Ollie Moran and James Butler warmed to the task and if it hadn’t been for ten wasteful wides, the game would’ve been over at the break. Butler scorched past John Browne to smack in a goal in the 12th minute and with Paul O’Grady on the mark with his frees, the underdogs were snarling.

Begley’s performance at full-forward was all the more praiseworthy for the fact that he went head-to-head with an in-form Diarmuid O’Sullivan and still emerged with credit. Begley finished with three points as did Moran, while Barry Foley hit four from play. Equally, whenever a hugely disappointing Cork attack threatened, Limerick’s defense, in which Mark Foley and goalkeeper Timmy Houlihan were outstanding, was impressively vigilant.

It was 1-10 to 0-7 at the changeover, but as Mark Foley later admitted, he knew Cork wouldn’t lie down.

"They were well on top in the second half as we were in the first, but you’re always going to get five or ten minutes of possession and it’s what you do with that which determines how you’re going to do," he said. "I think we showed a lot of character."

Cork’s comeback wasn’t helped by the absence of Sean Og O hAilpin — injured knee after a car accident — and of Brian Corcoran from the starting lineup. Corcoran was introduced as a substitute for the second half, and for a while Cork had some momentum as O’Sullivan surged out of defense to smash over a stunning point from all of 80 yards and then Alan Browne clipped home a ground shot for a goal.

Now Limerick were under pressure as a run of four points by Mark Landers, Alan Browne and two from Joe Deane gave Cork the lead for the first time in the game. It was short lived, however, as the green shirts piled forward once again. With manager Cregan making some shrewd substitutions and switches, his players kept their concentration and two O’Grady frees were followed by that magnificent Barry Foley sideline cut.

"You won’t find me complaining about a lack of stoppage time or about the referee," Cashman said. "Limerick deserved to win, it’s as simple as that. I’m nine years with Cork at various levels and that’s it for me. I’m shattered after losing, but this Cork team will be back, I have no doubt about that. But I won’t be with them."

A jubilant Limerick now prepare to meet Waterford in the semifinal at the same venue on Sunday week. Cork’s season is over. No back door, no reprieve.

Cavan 1-14, Down 2-10

If the Ulster football championship is traditionally the hardest slog of all, then you’d expect this sort of scoreline at the end of last Sunday’s first-round game at Casement Park. But in reality, Cavan were far more dominant than the one point margin suggested, and there was no great surprise here as Down fielded a young, inexperienced side.

With six teenagers in the lineup, predictably it took a substitute’s contribution from veteran Mickey Linden to give Down some hope, but once the Mayobridge legend was forced back to the sideline to nurse his hamstring, the chase was over. Even injured, Linden had managed to bag 1-1. However, Cavan deservedly held on to meet either Fermanagh or Monaghan in the semifinal.

In fact, Cavan, who were winning a first championship match in three seasons, should have been well clear if it hadn’t been for some poor shooting. A total of 16 wides to Down’s six said it all, while the losers’ goalkeeper, Mickey McVeigh, also had a bearing on the final scoreboard with a string of superb saves.

Down looked like they were going to be overrun in the first half as Cavan controlled midfield through Dermot McCabe and Peter McCrudden, while Paul Galligan and Jason Reilly were impressive in attack. But Down somehow managed to contrive a goal from Michael Walsh following an Aaron Donohoe error, and although Reilly replied in kind when he slipped away from the challenge of Ciaran Byrne, there were only four points separating the teams at the interval.

Linden gave Down more hope when he struck for a goal within six minutes of the restart and after McVeigh deflected a Peter Reilly penalty over the bar, Cavan lost their way for a spell. Jason Reilly, Peter Reilly and Larry Reilly all went for goals when points would have been the more logical target and while the management must have been in despair, the winners were put back on track by scores from Mickey Graham and McCrudden.

"Beam me up," was the relieved response from Cavan manager, Val Andrews. "It’s great to get this one over. Hopefully, the pressure is off now. I wouldn’t say it was a great game to watch, but it was exciting because it was so close. I’m just delighted for the players and their families."

Dublin 2-19. Longford 1-13

All so predictable. Routine enough for Dublin in this Leinster football championship first round game at Croke Park. Longford lacking self-belief. What did the winners’ manager, Tom Carr, learn from this exercise? Not a lot.

Carr wouldn’t have been too enamored of his players during the first half as they performed indifferently to lead by just a single point at the changeover, but when they scored 1-9 to Longford’s one point in an impressive second-half burst, the result was never in doubt.

Dublin’s revival was mostly inspired by Ciaran Whelan, whose high-fielding and surging runs had Longford in all sorts of trouble. Whelan finished with five points, as did Senan Connell, while Wayne McCarthy and Collie Moran had a goal in each half.

"I think we were quite nervous and no matter how hard we tried to relax, guys were a bit uptight about the first championship game," Carr said. "The players took responsibility for the first half and eventually, they started to turn it on. We played the type of football we need to be playing more consistently."

As for Longford, their first-half efforts were never going to be enough. Trevor Smullen, Paul Barden and James Martin gave it their best shot, while the ever-dangerous Pauric Davis simply didn’t have enough support in attack. Davis helped himself to 1-5, but his goal 10 minutes from the end was too late to put the losers back in contention.

Offaly 1-13, Laois 0-12

Offaly are through to meet Dublin in the Leinster football semifinal following this victory at Croke Park last Sunday, but the fallout concerned Laois and their manager Colm Browne’s bitter criticism of the match referee.

"I thought he [Donegal’s Michael McGrath] was a disgrace throughout," fumed Browne. "I thought the occasion was too much for him and he bottled it."

Browne was particularly incensed by a first-half incident when Chris Conway, despite being fouled, got through for a goal only to be called back by McGrath for a penalty. Conway then drove his spot kick wide of the post, and Laois were left with nothing.

"He should have shown some common sense and let the goal stand," Browne said. "There’s a lot of talk about players having the right mentality for the big game, but I think the GAA should really look at referees and handpick who they feel have the bottle for the big day."

To compound Browne’s frustration, Laois played the better football in the first half with Brian McDonald, Colm Parkinson and Conway threatening constantly, but they still trailed by 1-6 to 0-8 at the interval following a typical Vinny Claffey goal in the 35th minute. From then on, Offaly were always on top as Colm Quinn and Finbar McManus guided them home.

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