Limerick 1-13 Cork 2-19
Cork have laid down a marker after suffering a series of heavy beatings from Limerick last year by roaring to a comprehensive victory over the All-Ireland champions.
Beaten in their three League and Championship meetings in 2021 by a combined 32 points, Cork made light work of John Kiely’s side as they built up a 14-point half-time lead and kept Limerick at arm’s reach thereafter.
There was a bit of spite to the encounter too with both sides suffering red cards in first half injury time as Shane Kingston and Seamus Flaanagan were giving their marching orders for high challenges.
After a slow start to the 2021 League, Limerick found their stride in the corresponding fixture against Cork last year but it became increasingly apparent as the first half wore on that they are yet to emerge from their slumber in 2022 with this a third defeat from as many League outings.
They briefly took the lead at 0-3 to 0-2 in the seventh minute through a David Reidy free but, with Aaron Gillane on the bench, Reidy struggled from placed balls and with Limerick’s discipline rather loose, Patrick Horgan worked the scoreboard at the other end.
Four frees from him and a 65, along with a giant Mark Coleman free, pushed Cork 0-7 to 0-3 ahead by the 16th minute and Horgan was central as Cork moved well clear with their opening goal four minutes later as he skated around Dan Morrissey and offloaded to Kingston for an easy finish.
Limerick’s short game was well short of the precision that makes them so easy on the eye at their best and, indeed, they were guilty of overplaying it at times.
Darragh Fitzgibbon’s second point pushed the lead out to 10 approaching half-time and given Limerick’s heroic Munster final comeback last year, you were reluctant to write them off but a second Cork goal killed off the game.
It was Kingston again, whipping a rebound to the net after Barry Hennessy had made a brilliant save from Conor Lehane, who had been cleverly released by Horgan.
Shane Barrett hit his first point of the day to stretch the margin to 14 - 2-13 to 0-5 - in the final minute of normal time but there was plenty of drama to come before the half drew to a close.
First, Kingston was dismissed by referee Sean Stack for a shoulder to the face of defender Sean Finn as he emerged with possession and within seconds of play resuming, Limerick had blown their numerical advantage as Flanagan was sent off for a similar offence on Niall O’Leary.
Limerick ran three stalwarts at half-time with Gillane, Diarmaid Byrnes and William O’Donoghue entering the fray and while they got something of a bounce from them, it was never sustained and significant inroads weren’t made on Cork’s lead.
Cathal O’Neill finished off a fine move involving Cian Lynch and O’Donoghue midway through the second half and the game petered out in the last quarter, with Cork failing to score after the 59th minute as Limerick dressed up the scoreboard somewhat to leave with a single-digit defeat in the end.
LIMERICK: Barry Hennessy; Aaron Costello, Dan Morrissey, Sean Finn; Colin Coughlan, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; Darragh O’Donovan (0-1), Robbie Hanley; Cathal O’Neill (1-1), Cian Lynch (0-1), Tom Morrissey; Darren O’Connell, Seamus Flanagan (0-1), David Reidy (0-3, 0-2f).
Subs: Richie English for Finn (35+2, BS), Diarmaid Byrnes (0-3f) for Coughlan (HT), Aaron Gillane (0-2f) for O’Connell (HT), William O’Donoghue for Hanley (HT), Graeme Mulcahy (0-1) for Reidy (48), Conor Boylan for O’Neill (54).
CORK: Patrick Collins; Sean O’Donoghue, Daire O’Leary, Niall O’Leary; Tim O’Mahony (0-1), Ger Millerick, Mark Coleman (0-2, 0-1f); Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-2), Ciaran Joyce; Mark Keane, Conor Lehane (0-2), Robbie O’Flynn (0-2); Shane Kingston (2-0), Patrick Horgan (0-8, 0-6f, 0-1 ‘65’), Shane Barrett (0-1).
Subs: Conor Cahalane (0-1) for Keane (40), Jack O’Connor for Lehane (46), Cormac O’Brien for O’Leary (56 CS), Alan Connolly for Horgan (60), Seamus Harnedy for Barrett (64), Sean Twomey for O’Flynn (70).
REFEREE: Sean Stack (Dublin).
