AN hour after the Páirc Uí Chaoimh pitch had cleared last Saturday night, when the thousands of elated supporters had gone home, when the smoke bombs and happy chaos and frenzy was no longer visible but the delirium was still lingering in the warm southern air, two young kids in Cork jerseys had somehow managed to remain on the pitch to puck a ball over and back to each other.
Maybe they knew somebody working in the stadium, or had relations in the county board - or maybe nobody had the heart to say anything on such a glorious and eternal night for Cork hurling that nobody wanted it to end.
Despite all their success and past glories, Cork hurling had never seen anything like what they’d witnessed over the previous couple of hours. Cork had been guaranteed nothing more than just two points but All-Irelands weren’t celebrated as much in the past.
Cork supporters have been so starved, and hurt so often, that the final whistle was like an unmerciful release from all the pent-up anger and frustration. The way Cork won the match instantly evoked memories of what it used to be like, but it was also an epic re-enactment of what the younger generation had heard so much about, but had never actually seen.
The whole emotional range was wider and broader and far rawer again for a variety of reasons; it was a knockout match for Cork because they had to win to stay alive; and it was against Limerick.
Limerick have beaten everyone in the last five years but no team has felt the pain of their sword more than Cork in that time. The 2021 All-Ireland final hammering was a nadir. The whipping in Cork the following April was nearly worse. Limerick’s one-point win in Limerick last May ended Cork’s summer.
The manner of how Cork beat the All-Ireland champions was even more satisfying considering the context; Limerick normally don’t lose games from a winning position late on; Cork haven’t been able to win games when the heat has been at boiling point. Yet Cork refused to wilt in that furnace of pressure and came up with five of the last six scores.
When Limerick had them on the rack in the second half and when Cork needed to be clinical with their limited possession up front, they were; Cork’s conversion rate in that half was 88 per cent overall, and 80 per cent from play.
It was the first tight championship game Cork had won since beating Waterford in May 2022. Prior to last Saturday, Cork had drawn one and lost five of their previous championship games by one score, three of which were decided by one point.
Limerick expected to choke the life out of Cork again when they had them by the throat but they couldn’t because Cork kept shooting and kept the scoreboard moving; the 3-28 that Cork posted is the most Limerick have conceded under John Kiely.
The Cork supporters had largely approached the evening with trepidation but everything about the performance was everything the Cork public have been craving.
It was the best Cork performance since the 2021 All-Ireland semi-final but it was even more impressive considering how loaded the display was with aggression and intent.
That attitude was especially reflected in how Cork went after the Limerick half-back line. It’s been a long time since Limerick’s key launchpad and platform – Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, and Kyle Hayes - have been taken on in the air, but Cork completely disarmed and dismantled them in that sector; Cork mined 3-15 off their own puck-out, with 3-10 from long puck-outs.
Everything about Cork was sassy and well-planned. Playing their three inside forwards close to goal does limit the ability of Patrick Horgan and Alan Connolly to get on more ball. But that strategy enabled Cork to create more space between the Limerick half-back line and full-back line, which, in turn, restricted Limerick’s ability to shut down those corridors of space for Cork to attack with their speed from deep. In the first half alone, Cork created five goal-scoring chances.
None of that is surprising with Cork. Two weeks earlier against Clare Cork created nine goal-scoring chances, but only took three. The 3-24 they scored that afternoon would have won 35 of the 36 games played in the history of the Munster round robin.
The problem for Cork the same afternoon was that Clare scored 3-26. Limerick hit the same tally on Saturday evening. Conceding those kinds of colossal tallies has been Cork’s downfall for years but they have always backed themselves to win high-scoring shootouts.
That they finally did is another indication of how Cork have been gradually getting the balance right under Pat Ryan. Did they play any better on Saturday than they had played against Clare? That’s arguable, especially when Cork were reduced to 14 men for the last 20 minutes of the Clare match.
After an atrocious performance against Waterford in Round 1, Ryan really felt the heat. The most changes Cork made for any one championship game last year was four but Ryan drafted in six new players for the Clare game.
The depth of their panel is one of Cork’s biggest strengths but confidence still comes from consistency, and the bulk of the team playing consistently well – not making constant changes in the search for that consistency. That was an issue during the league but Cork have finally found that consistency.
The trick now is to back it up again on Sunday against Tipperary. Going back to his underage days, and with Waterford, Liam Cahill’s sides have always had a good track record against Cork. Ryan’s team need to win to have any chance of progressing. If they do qualify, Cork are going to be a dangerous animal for the rest of this championship.
Whatever happens going forward, last Saturday should be a gateway game for Cork, and the future of this team.
Cork have to prove that they can consistently maintain those standards, but Saturday showed that when Cork are on their game, and their crowd are behind them, they are an irresistible force capable of creating a unique kind of magic.