NHL, Division 1A: Cork 4-22 Galway 0-22
Just like in a paintball outing, there was plenty of shooting, but nobody got hurt. Cork reached the National Hurling League Division 1A final and Galway suffered their third 12-point beating of this league campaign but in the spirit of the competition both teams were faithful to a non-aggression pact.
In a fortnight, Cork and Tipperary will contest a league final for the first time since 1960, and it will be fitting at least that the two teams who have invested most in the competition over the last couple of months will escort the hurling season from spring into summer.
On a bitterly cold night Cork’s handling was clumsy at times and their decision making was cloudy, but they burned off most of Galway’s resistance before half-time and killed the game stone dead with their third goal at the beginning of the second half.
Pat Ryan lamented Cork’s finishing after they lost to Tipperary in Thurles a month ago, but since then they have scored 10 goals in two matches. Four of those goals belonged to Brian Hayes, but the other six were shared between five players and the threat came from all angles.
Galway worked hard to stay in touch with Cork in the first half, but they led for less than a minute and they were never going to keep up with points alone. Cathal Mannion was terrific, and had five points to his name before he was taken off in the middle of the second half, and young Joshua Ryan made a spunky debut at corner back, but Galway were in bother all over the field and their defence was exposed to all kinds of weather.
Cork had 11 different scorers and 4-15 of their total came from play. Patrick Horgan left the field to a massive ovation in the closing minutes after another sharp and productive performance, and Seamus Harnedy joined the match off the bench to a similar reception, his first appearance since last year’s All-Ireland final. By then the game had assumed the intensity of an old-fashioned challenge match. Remember them?
In the first half, goals were Cork’s point of difference. After his hat-trick in Ennis a fortnight ago, Hayes struck again after just 10 minutes. The outstanding Robert Downey made an interception in the half-back line, shifted the ball quickly to Ethan Twomey and the Cork centre fielder arrowed a pass to Hayes. He lost Padraic Mannion with a hairpin turn and buried a shot low into the corner of the net.
Hayes was involved too in Cork’s second goal just seven minutes later. Brian Roche excavated the ball from a ruck near the sideline and fed Hayes with a short pass. In rugby terms, he straightened the line, running at two Galway defenders before releasing Darragh Fitzgibbon into space.
The Cork centre forward still had 40 metres to cover when he received the ball but ran directly at the Galway goal and beat Eanna Murphy with a drilled, one-bounce shot.
There were times in the first half when Cork’s lust for goals corrupted their judgment and they were guilty of trying to force an extra pass. But they are committed to going for the jugular, come what may.
Horgan pounced for Cork’s third goal three minutes into the second half after Declan Dalton fielded a long clearance and punched a hole in the last line of Galway’s defence before parting with the ball.
The last goal, at the beginning of the final quarter, was probably the pick of the bunch. Cork forced another turnover in their half-back line and moved the ball quickly to Tim O’Mahony in open space. He strode through Galway’s half of the field, untouched, before playing a one-two with Shane Kingston. When the ball returned to the Cork centre fielder he guided the ball into the net with a soft, one-handed strike.
CORK: P Collins; S O’Donoghue, D Cahalane, N O’Leary; C Joyce, R Downey, M Coleman; T O’Mahony (1-1), E Twomey (0-1); S Barrett (0-4), D Fitzgibbon (1-1), B Roche (0-1); P Horgan (1-9, 6f), B Hayes (1-0), D Dalton (0-2, 1f).
Subs: C O’Brien (0-1) for Coleman (40 mins); S Harnedy (0-1) for Roche (45); A Connolly (0-1) for Dalton (50); S Kingston for Hayes (55); D Healy for Horgan (65).
GALWAY: E Murphy; J Ryan, D Morrissey, P Mannion; C Fahy, G Lee, S Morgan; T Monaghan (0-1), S Linnane; R Burke (0-2), T Killeen (0-1), C Mannion (0-5); C Whelan (0-1), B Concannon, E Niland (0-7, 5f, 1′65).
Subs: J Flynn (0-1f) for Concannon (h-t); D McLoughlin (0-1) for Niland, C Cooney (0-3, 1f) for Whelan (both 46); R Glennon for C Mannion (53); TJ Brennan for Morgan (63).
Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin).
