1. Cork find killer instinct
They were competitive against Clare and Waterford, and had ample opportunities to clinch results in both games. But on both occasions, they fumbled the bag at the crucial moment. It was the wide-count that rattled them against the Déise, clocking up seven of them inside the opening 20 minutes. And after building up a seven-point lead against Clare, they crumbled when composure was required to steer home to safety.
A similar script seemed to be unravelling against Limerick. By half-time, they were 2-15 to 1-10 ahead. And by the time Séamus Flanagan completed his hat-trick of goals, Cork were on the slide. Cathal O’Neill pointed to put Limerick two points ahead and Cork were drifting into a coma. Defeat would have meant crashing out of the championship for the second year-in-a-row in the Munster round-robin series. And a sixth Munster championship game on the bounce without a win.
But then man of the match Darragh Fitzgibbon gave Cork their first point in 10 minutes. Shane Kingston — who tormented the Limerick defence with his pace upon his second-half introduction — and Alan Connolly both added points to keep the gap at two points. Kingston won a penalty after a pulsating run that forced Limerick to commit a professional foul. Horgan reclaimed the lead with his powerful shot past Nickie Quaid. He also took a free which he arrowed into the paw of Brian Hayes to swing over his shoulder.
Instead of another heroic run to failure, and a second consecutive round-robin exit from the championship, Cork discovered a killer instinct within themselves.
2. Limerick first-half frailties a worrying sign
In a similar display to the one they produced against Clare, Limerick struggled to catch fire in the first half. They were eight points down at half-time and had conceded two goals. Shane Barrett might have scored a second goal had his shot on the half-hour mark evaded the stick of Nickie Quaid, while Brian Hayes had a goal-bound shot pushed over the bar. Alan Connolly was also denied.
The Munster and All-Ireland champions looked more sprightly at the start of the second half, with Séamus Flanagan snatching a hat-trick of goals to put them three points ahead. Diarmaid Byrnes missed two long-range frees in the first half but recovered with two frees in the second half. Gearóid Hegarty was growing more into the game, providing the assist for Flanagan’s third goal and Cathal O’Neill scored three points after half-time.
But Cork’s resurgence forced Limerick to pay for their slack first-half display and hand them their first defeat of the Munster round-robin series. A more complete performance will be required to outgun Waterford in the final round.
3. Darragh Fitzgibbon a rebel leader
He scored four points from play against Waterford in the opening round, and two more when Cork hosted Clare in Páirc Uí Chaoimh but this was the game where Darragh Fitzgibbon assumed a leadership role in this team. He clocked out with five points from play while also linking the play and covering ground to give Cork their first green tick in this year’s provincial championship.
His most vital contribution of the night was a point shortly after Séamus Flanagan’s third goal. It was Cork’s first score in 10 minutes and kept his side two points adrift, and still on Limerick’s tail. That intervention paved the way for Cork’s late charge for victory as Pat Horgan scored 1-1 from a penalty and a free, before Brian Hayes’ late point. He was also prominent during Cork’s lively opening at the start of the game, providing an assist for a Pat Horgan and a goal opportunity for Alan Connolly which was saved by Nickie Quaid.
Fitzgibbon’s pace and ability to time runs off the shoulder are vital for Cork if they are to get another restorative victory against Tipperary on 19 May.
4. Limerick injuries a cause for concern
A high casualty count is not an unfamiliar sight for John Kiely. It’s a misfortune his team has been struck by in recent years, and now he’s living with it again. Darragh O’Donovan is still a key absentee due to a calf problem. Star forward Peter Casey picked up a nasty broken ankle in Limerick’s win over Tipperary, while his brother Mike is back in training after being forced off against Clare.
Kiely is hopeful that he will be back in time for their final outing of the series against Waterford. Seán Finn, who just recently returned from an ACL injury, made way with what looked like a hamstring problem.
Those losses in personnel are concerning for Kiely. Aaron Gillane was kept scoreless from play against Cork while Tom Morrissey and David Reidy were both replaced in the second half. Aidan O’Connor and Adam English both scored a point off the bench but Kiely will need his side firing off more bullets throughout a full 70 minutes, and not just in the second half when the pressure increases.
5. Séamus Flanagan sparkles
One of the big positives for Limerick was the performance of Séamus Flanagan at full-forward. After a quiet season so far by his standards, he announced himself to the stage with 3-3 in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. His first goal arrived after 25 minutes at a time when his side were trailing by six points, using some neat stick work to finish off a pass from Aaron Gillane into the back of the Cork net.
His second was a reward for Limerick’s alertness to a defensive error. Gearóid Hegarty picked the pocket of Seán O’Donoghue who dropped the ball from a short puckout, with Hegarty feeding Flanagan for the crucial strike. The pair linked up again for goal number three as Hegarty popped a long handpass out to the unmarked Flanagan at the edge of the square.
A renewed Flanagan is a huge plus for Kiely considering the injuries Limerick have picked up in their attacking unit.
