ANOTHER classic. Another spellbinding game in the unfolding Waterford/Cork hurling saga that will be recalled and remembered when the dust has long settled on Semple Stadium last Sunday.
This Munster senior hurling semi-final was the stuff great sporting spectacles are made of. And they’ll come no greater, no more exhilarating, and no more spectacularly memorable than the epic which two super sides served up for the fans.
At the final whistle the victory spoils were Waterford’s on a 5-15 to 3-18 scoreline that tells its own very definite tale. Just a puck of the ball between the teams at the end, and if the truth be told only the woodwork denied Cork what would have been a sensational last gasp equalising goal deep into added time.
From the opening seconds of a game played at a frenetic pace that somehow was maintained right to the gripping finale, the trend of the afternoon was instantly set. A mere twelve seconds on the clock and John Mullane’s effort split the Cork uprights for a delightful point. It was to be the first of many vital contributions over the seventy searing minutes by the De La Salle clubman who very deservedly went home with the RTE “man of the match’’ accolade.
What followed was breathtaking in its splendour, and if the defending at both ends of the field was at times sloppy two sets of forwards were in the mood to make them pay.
FIRST GOAL
The first of eight goals came on fourteen minutes, Cork full forward Kieran Murphy billowing the net when he gained possession from goalkeeper Anthony Nash’s prodigious free.
Just five minutes later our own Dan The Man did the business at he other end, Samas Prendergast the provider and the Lismore man lethal in his finishing. Within another six minutes the Cork citadel had again fallen, this time Mullane the clinical executioner.
The ebb and flow continued, but tragedy struck for us in the 31st minute when Eoin Murphy made a hash of clearing a ball that should have been sent seventy metres downfield into Cork territory. Instead was allowed himself to disposed and in a twinkling Murphy was through for his and Cork’s second goal.
That score edged the Rebels a point in front, but this fabulous contest was to have a few more twists before the half time break. Up stepped Paull Flynn in the 35th minute to slam a 20 metre free to the net, and almost three minutes of added time had been played when Shanahan lashed home his second goal, giving Nash absolutely no chance from close range.
Joe Deane responded with a great Cork point, and we retired at the break a tidy five points to the good, 4-8 to 2-9, but with the outcome still as wide open as the proverbial bar door.
ENTHRALLING
Had the tempo dropped even a little in the second half the fans would have been understanding. Instead however the exchanges, if anything, became more frenetic with every passing minute more absorbing than the preceding one.
We had stretched into a six point lead within nine minutes of the restart before Cork hit back with a vengeance, threatening in fact to take complete control and go on to fashion another of their famous championship wins. Their goal however in the 47th minute was one that more vigilant defending would not have conceded. Patrick Cronin the finisher from John Gardiner’s long range free.
Ben O’Connor’s 50th minute had the sides level for a sixth time, and now the searching questions were being asked of our fellows. Thankfully the responses were the hallmarks and trademarks of a really good side.
VITAL GOAL
Not for the first time Dan The Man was the one to the rescue with a corker of a goal in the 57th minute, and it was a lead we would never again relinquish. Goalkeeper Clinton Hennessey kept out Ben O’Connor’s poorly struck penalty within a minute of Shanahan’s lead goal and big Dan was on target again with a peach of a point to stretch our lead to four.
But still Cork wouldn’t wilt, three points on the trot including a brace from Ben O’Connor frees and the deficit was back to the minimum with three minutes of normal time. That was however, to be their final scoring salvo and two beauties at the other end from Mullane and Tony Browne(his second of the game) signed, sealed, and delivered a great victory.
IMPROVEMENT
In the full flush of the win there is a danger that some of the negatives may be overlooked. The fullback line for one creaked too many times for everybody’s liking, with All-Star Eoin Murphy having a real off day before being hauled ashore. To be fair however to the Shamrocks man he has been a model of consistency in the past and no doubt will bounce back from the nightmare of this below par display.
The form of Jack Kennedy too is a worry, but the high point of the day was the movement of the forwards who electrified the whole stadium with so many of their magnificent scores. Paul Flynn made a successful return though he understandably tired in the closing stages, but with this one under his belt he will be all the better for it.
The biggest disappointment of the afternoon was the poor standard of refereeing, and Barry Kelly angered both sets of players and supporters with decisions that were quite difficult to under-stand. Not one of the
Westmeath official’s better days I’m sorry to say.
And so another Munster final awaits us on July 8th at Pairc Ui Chaoimh or Semple Stadium, depending on the outcome of next Sunday’s second Limerick/Tipperary replay. Whichever of them it is will be a difficult nut to crack, but crack it we will with a repeat of last Sunday and more solidity in our own defensive formation. There’s also the important matter of a guaranteed place in the All-Ireland quarter final, and the elimination of the necessity of having to go down the route of those dreaded qualifiers.
