NHL Division 1A final: Cork 3-24 Tipperary 0-23
Cork lived up to expectations in Sunday’s Allianz League final, overwhelming Tipperary in a blistering first half. Three well-taken goals fleshed out the 3-16 to 0-12 interval lead, which looked and proved irretrievable.
In fact, had they declared like a cricket team, it would still have been enough as Tipp – even though they outscored the winners in a listless second half – didn’t reach their half-time total.
If the match proved a bit disappointing in lovely conditions before a crowd of 43,243, it won’t bother Cork, who have lost five league finals since last winning in 1998 to go with the four All-Irelands, including last year’s, since they last lifted Liam MacCarthy.
Pat Ryan, who has patiently and methodically rebuilt the county’s challenge, was sufficiently mindful to refer to this context.
“Since I came involved with Cork [as under-20 coach in 2020], we had no minor titles, we had no [under] 20 titles and we’d no All-Irelands for 20 years and no league for 27 years. You’re trying to stop all that chat and all that chatter because that doesn’t help a county when you’re trying to get better and trying to find wins.”
This decade’s haul is a decent three under-20s, one minor and now a league.
Last year’s narrowest of All-Ireland defeats after extra-time was a crushing setback but did, for the first time in over a decade, place Cork right in the national conversation.
The bounce-back in this season’s league was impressive and although they lost to Tipperary in the divisional fixture in Thurles, the finish to that regulation campaign saw them register 10 goals in the last two matches.
The scoring rate opened at a point a minute and whereas Tipp competed well for the first 20 minutes, they were straining whereas Cork were bursting to get forward.
Significant changes in fortune were everywhere. Players who hadn’t participated earlier in the league made heavy impacts. Alan Connolly rediscovered the quicksilver menace of last season for an early 1-2. The switch of Darragh Fizgibbon to centre forward and Ethan Twomey to centrefield continued to benefit both – with 1-4 and 1-2 respectively – as well as the team.
Tipperary’s impressive under-20 Darragh McCarthy, who scorched Cork in Thurles, was well marked by another returnee Seán O’Donoghue after an initial flourish that saw him drawing fouls. Robert Downey dominated the centre of defence and muscled Sam O’Farrell out of a goal chance in the 27th minute.
Tipp manager Liam Cahill made weary reference to the amount of ball Tim O’Mahony won in the middle and Willie Connors was replaced by the 23rd minute.
The biggest surprise came before the throw-in when Brian Hayes was confirmed as a starter. The influential forward had overcome initial fears of serious injury but was still thought an unlikely starter until the championship.
Manager Pat Ryan explained that the player’s return was accelerated after he moved quickly through recovery markers.
It wasn’t a tentative return either, as Hayes busied himself in attack, directing traffic and provided the assist for Fitzgibbon’s goal.
Ultimately the match was decided in a second-quarter blast in which Cork outscored Tipp 3-8 to 0-5. Goals were well taken by Connolly, twisting and turning and firing in, in the 22nd minute, Fitzgibbon five minutes later and then, on the stroke of half-time when Twomey raced on to Diarmuid Healy’s popped pass and struck a great shot into the net.
Tipp rallied a bit after half-time, which came as a consolation to Cahill, but had to be seen in the context of a contest that was done. His players showed heart and didn’t give in but there was a scattered effect to their play, eking out points – they ‘won’ the second half 0-11 to 0-8 – but at an inadequate rate of erosion.
The teams repair to their championship preparation. In two weeks, Cork head to Ennis to revisit All-Ireland opponents Clare – past whom they hammered six goals last month. Tipp take on Limerick in Thurles.
Cahill disagreed that there had been a physical gulf between his team and Cork, but equally knows there is work to be done if they are to return in three weeks and fashion an improved outcome.
“They are a big side and they are fit and they’re a fabulously pacy team. But I thought today on the physical stakes that I didn’t feel that we were bullied around the field. I don’t know. I think that will not be something that will be a major concern to me heading into the Munster championship around our physicality.
“I think creation-wise there is an area to improve there and we’ll have to come here with something different in three weeks’ time.”
CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, E Downey, S O’Donoghue; C Joyce (0-1), R Downey (capt.), C O’Brien; T O’Mahony (0-2), E Twomey (1-2); S Barrett (0-2), D Fitzgibbon (1-4), D Healy (0-2); A Connolly (1-2), B Hayes (0-1), P Horgan (0-7, 5f).
Subs: S Harnedy for Healy (48 mins); M Coleman for O’Brien (51); D Dalton for Hayes (53); T O’Connell (0-1) for Twomey (56); L Meade for Fitzgibbon (temp, 57, unreversed); S Kingston for Barrett (66).
TIPPERARY: B Hogan; R Doyle, M Breen, E Connolly; J Caesar, R Maher (capt), B O’Mara; C Morgan, W Connors; G O’Connor (0-1), S O’Farrell (0-2), A Tynan (0-1); J Forde (0-7, 2 65s, 1f), J Morris (0-3), D McCarthy (0-4f).
Subs: D Stakelum (0-2) for Connors (23 mins); S Kenneally (0-2) for Caesar (h-t); D Walsh for O’Connor (44); A Ormond (0-1) for McCarthy (47); S Kennedy for Tynan (57).
Referee: S Stack (Dublin).
