Cork 4-22
Galway 0-22
JOHNNY CAROLAN REPORTS
CORK manager Pat Ryan is keen to focus on the positives of reaching the final of the Allianz Hurling League rather than fear any negative side-effects.
A comfortable win over Galway at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday night sent the Rebels through to a decider against Tipperary at the same venue on Sunday, April 6th.
That is just two weeks before Cork travel to Ennis to face Clare – with Tipp up against Limerick – but Ryan feels that the clash will fill the gap well, without over-shadowing the bigger tests ahead.
‘It would be very hard to get challenge matches,’ he said, ‘because, obviously we knew that if we won today's game, that we would be in the league final.
‘Obviously, we wouldn't have challenge matches organised, whereas you can guarantee every other county has, so it would be very hard for us to get a challenge match and Liam [Cahill] would be in the same situation.
‘I suppose getting to the league final wasn’t our plan at the start of the year. At the start of the year our plan was to build our squad and prepare for the 20th of April [Munster SHC game away to Clare]. Obviously we view it as great preparation, we have two weeks off now. We have a game which is fantastic, the same as Liam Cahill.
‘It is probably the league final nobody wants to be in but, from our point of view, it is a great opportunity to get better. Our focus all the time is on the 20th of April against Clare.’
Cork forward Brian Hayes on the attack against Galway.
In front of 20,010 people – the third home game of the campaign where they broke the 20,000 barrier – Cork matched Galway in the opening stages, with the visitors failing to make the most of scoring opportunities with the wind behind them.
It was 0-4 each when the first goal came. Cork captain Robert Downey, assured at centre-back throughout, broke up a Galway attack with a good interception and that allowed Ethan Twomey to launch a delivery to Hayes, who did well to create space before finishing confidently.
They were four ahead when Horgan pointed a free but Galway came back with scores from Rory Burke, Niland and Cathal Mannion, who finished with five. Cork hit back with another goal, though.
This was again the product of strong application as Brian Roche and Hayes won a break from a Patrick Collins puckout, allowing Darragh Fitzgibbon to drive goalward and send a low shot past Éanna Murphy. A point from man-of-the-match Tim O’Mahony had them 2-6 to 0-7 in front and, with Niall O’Leary and Downey good in defence, it was 2-12 to 0-12 at half-time.
Though Evan Niland had the opening score of the second half, a third Cork goal – brilliantly set up by Declan Dalton after a great catch, allowing Horgan to score – put any doubts about the outcome to bed. Even when Galway looked like they might fashion a goal to erode the Cork advantage, sub Declan McLoughlin found himself denied by a brilliant O’Leary challenge and, at the other end, Shane Barrett and sub Cormac O’Brien ensured that the Cork lead was extended.
They had lost Hayes by the time of the fourth goal, on 56 minutes, but it was his replacement, Shane Kingston, who was the foil to allow the rampaging O’Mahony to play a one-two before finishing well, opening up a lead of 14 points, 4-19 to 0-17.
Sub Conor Cooney did help to redress that deficit late on but only slightly, while Harnedy and Connolly were both among the scores as Cork marched on to the decider, aiming to end a 27-year wait.
‘When we put on a Cork jersey, we expect to win every match,’ Ryan said, ‘that is the way we go out and represent the fans.
‘You saw the crowd here again on Saturday, they expect us to win games and to win matches. That’s been the tradition of Cork hurling down through the years and that’s what we expect the lads to do.
‘But, as I said, our focus is on the 20th of April. This will be fantastic preparation for that day.’
Scorers
Cork: Patrick Horgan 1-9 (6f); Shane Barrett 0-4; Darragh Fitzgibbon, Tim O’Mahony 1-1 each; Brian Hayes 1-0; Declan Dalton 0-2 (1f); Ethan Twomey, Brian Roche, Cormac O’Brien, Séamus Harnedy, Alan Connolly 0-1 each.
Galway: Evan Niland 0-7 (5f, 1 65); Cathal Mannion 0-5; Conor Cooney 0-3 (1f); Rory Burke 0-2; Tiernan Killeen, Tom Monaghan, Conor Whelan, Declan McLoughlin, Jason Flynn (1f) 0-1 each.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Seán O’Donoghue, Damien Cahalane, Niall O’Leary; Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey, Mark Coleman; Tim O’Mahony, Ethan Twomey; Shane Barrett, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Brian Roche; Declan Dalton, Patrick Horgan, Brian Hayes.
Subs: Cormac O’Brien for Coleman (40), Séamus Harnedy for Roche (46), Alan Connolly for Dalton (50), Shane Kingston for Hayes (55, injured), Diarmuid Healy for Horgan (65).
Galway: Éanna Murphy; Pádraic Mannion, Darren Morrissey, Joshua Ryan; Cianán Fahy, Gavin Lee, Shane Morgan; Tom Monaghan, Seán Linnane; Rory Burke, Tiernan Killeen, Cathal Mannion; Conor Whelan, Brian Concannon, Evan Niland.
Subs: Jason Flynn for Concannon (half-time), Conor Cooney for Whelan, Declan McLoughlin for Niland (both 46), Ronan Glennon for C Mannion (53).
Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin).
