Cork 1-16 Tipperary 1-29
There must be something in this warm weather training after Tipperary toyed with great rivals Cork at a bitterly cold Pairc Ui Rinn on Sunday.
Tipp swapped bright blue skies and temperatures in the low 20s from their trip to the Spanish sunshine for close to freezing on Leeside, but still prevailed in the most outlandish circumstances.
It was a nightmare afternoon for Cork, who, apart from the 13-point trouncing, lost captain Seamus Harnedy to a straight red card after clashing with James Barry in the 56th minute and Alan Cadogan and Aidan Walsh through injury.
Harnedy’s departure came at a stage when Tipp led by a whopping 1-25 to 0-9 and many in the 3,681 crowd were already heading for the exit gates.
Cadogan, who hadn’t played for Cork in over a year, limped off just before half-time with Walsh helped to the sideline as the game entered four minutes’ injury-time.
Star of the show was Tipp’s ace marksman Jason Forde, who finished with a grand haul of 1-13, but he, too, didn’t complete the game. Forde also had to be assisted from the pitch just before the hour with a leg injury.
By then, however, Forde had inflicted enough damage on an-out-of sorts home side who never got going on a surface which, this time last week, was waterlogged in several places.
Midfielder Michael Breen underlined his value to the visitors with a brilliant display, topped by six points from play as the entire forward-line also contributed to their mammoth tally.
Tipp captain Seamus Callanan won the toss and decided to take first use of the howling wind playing down the pitch from the city end goal.
It was substantial enough for the visitors to appreciate that only a big interval lead would be required to act as a buffer in the face of an anticipated Cork onslaught in the second period.
By the time the teams headed for the dressingrooms following three minutes’ injury-time Tipp had accumulated an impressive tally of 16 points, half from Forde, who showed his accuracy from frees of varying distances, to lead by 10.
Such was the strength of the wind that the sharpshooter had plenty of room to spare when converting frees from 90 metres, punishing Cork indiscretions in a half when they had three players yellow carded – Walsh, Eoin Cadogan and O’Mahony.
A critical period came with the visitors pouncing for five scores without response in a three-minute spell, a Forde free starting the sequence, which ended with Callanan’s first in the 18th minute to make it 0-10 to 0-4.
Padraic Maher drove his side on from centre-back and scores continued to flow, three in as many minutes, including a fine effort on the left from Jake Morris. Fittingly, Forde completed the first-half scoring from play for 0-16 to 0-6.
The pattern continued on the change of ends with Tipp dictating matters, reflected in a superb effort from distance from Breen after 40 minutes before Cork coughed up a soft goal almost immediately.
Noel McGrath’s diagonal cross from the right should have been mopped up comfortably by Damien Cahalane, who slipped and lost possession for Forde to pounce and score with a low shot past Anthony Nash.
At 1-17 to 0-7 adrift, there was no way back for Cork, who did manage a consolation goal of their own, when Walsh finished good approach play by substitute Robbie Flynn and Conor Lehane in the 59th minute.
It was only cosmetic and how appropriate that Breen should close out proceedings with his sixth point in the final play.
CORK: A Nash; D Browne, D Cahalane, S McDonnell; C Joyce, T O'Mahony, E Cadogan; C Murphy, B Cooper (0-1); D Dooley, S Harnedy, captain, A Walsh (1-0); A Cadogan (0-1), C Lehane (0-4), P Horgan (0-6, four frees, one '65). Subs: S Kingston (0-1) for A Cadogan injured 33 mins, L Meade (0-1) for Dooley and M Coleman (0-1) for E Cadogan, half-time, R O'Flynn (0-1) for Murphy 51 mins, J O'Connor for Walsh injured 70 mins.
TIPPERARY: Paul Maher; Joe O'Dwyer, J Barry, C Barrett; R Maher, Padraic Maher, R Byrne; N McGrath (0-1), M Breen (0-6); J Morris (0-2), S Callanan, captain, (0-3, one free), J Forde (1-13, eight frees, 1'65); John O'Dwyer (0-1), N O'Meara (0-2), J McGrath (0-1). Subs: Patrick Maher for Forde injured 58 mins, A Flynn for Joe O'Dwyer 60 mins, B Heffernan for O'Meara 63 mins, M Kehoe for Callanan, 68 mins.
Referee: S Cleere (Kilkenny).
