Allianz HL D1A Final: Cork win first title for 27 years

Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Final

CORK 3-24 TIPPERARY 0-23

By John Harrington at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Cork ended their 27-year wait for an Allianz Hurling League title in some style in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh today.

They ruthlessly put to the sword a Tipperary team that simply couldn’t live with their athleticism, skill, and clinical finishing.

Speed is a difference maker in sport and Cork’s advantage in this respect was very apparent and central to their victory.

The three first-half goals they scored that effectively decided this match all owed a lot their ability to outstrip a Tipperary defence that just couldn’t handle the pace with which Cork could run with the ball.

There were other important factors that swayed the match for Cork.

They were much better than Tipperary at winning possession from their own puck-out and their half-backs Ciaran Joyce, Robert Downey, and Cormac O’Brien and midfielders Tim O’Mahony and Ethan Twomey dominated the middle third of the field.

That gave Cork the platform to supply their forwards with nicely arrowed deliveries and players like Darragh Fitzgibbon and Alan Connolly were in the mood to make the most of them.

Cork’s goals came in the 22^nd, 27^th, and 35^th minutes and all of them showcased their ability to cut through teams with their speed of limb and thought and finish ruthlessly.

Before the goal-rush, Tipperary had given as good as they’d gotten.

They were ahead 0-5 to 0-4 by the 11^th minute, and at that juncture of the match would have been relatively pleased with how the contest was panning out.

They were moving the ball nicely through the lines and in Jason Forde had a forward who was clearly full of confidence as he sniped over two really classy points.

Cork had a stiff breeze at their backs, but weren’t really making the most of it, and even when they broke two points clear Tipp reeled them in again with scores from Darragh McCarthy (free) and Jake Morris to leave the score 10 points a piece

But then, in the blink of an eye, the game changed utterly.

Darragh Fitzgibbon, Tim O’Mahony and Diarmuid Healy flashed over three points in two minutes before Alan Connolly struck for the game’s first goal.

O’Mahony picked him out with a nice pass and he showed a clean pair of heels to Eoghan Connolly before finishing emphatically to the net.

The teams exchanged two points each before Cork scored their second goal.

Brian Hayes did brilliantly to win possession in ruck of bodies before hand-passing it to Fitzgibbon who went straight for the jugular and guided the ball past the advancing Barry Hogan.

Points from Sam O’Farrell and substitute Darragh Stakelum reduced Tipp’s deficit to nine points, but they were floored again when Cork struck for a third goal.

Tipperary looked really vulnerable whenever they turned over the ball in their own half and it happened again when Connolly was dispossessed and Ethan Twomey raced through before firing a rocket of a shot to the far right corner of the net for the best goal of the game yet.

Tim O’Mahony hit the last score of the half to put Cork 3-16 to 0-12 ahead at half-time and very much in control of the game.

The second half was a relatively flat affair. Cork seemed to take their foot off the gas and, while Tipperary battled away manfully, they never looked like scoring the goals they needed to get back into the contest in a meaningful way.

There were some silver linings for the Premier County with an eye to the Munster championship. Substitutes Sean Keneally and Andrew Ormond improved their attack when they came on and Darragh Stakelum also made an impact from the bench.

Jason Forde and Jake Morris were good in bursts and Sam O’Farrell is a young hurler with a very bright future ahead of them.

But there’s no getting away from the fact that this was still a dispiriting day for the Premier County after a League campaign that had been positive until today’s Final.

If they’re to have a serious tilt at the Munster Championship, they need to get more pace into the team and fine a way to create and finish more goal chances.

As for Cork, on the basis of what they showed in the first half in particular of this League Final, they have all the tools they need to go one better than they did last year.

Scorers for Cork: Darragh Fitzgibbon 1-4, Patrick Horgan 0-7 (5f), Alan Connolly 1-2, Ethan Twomey 1-2, Diarmuid Healy, Shane Barrett, Tim O’Mahony all 0-2, Ciarán Joyce, Brian Hayes, Tommy O’Connell all 0-1.

Scorers for Tipperary: Jason Forde 0-7 (2 65, 1f), Darragh McCarthy 0-4 (all frees), Jake Morris 0-3, Sean Kenneally, Sam O’Farrell, Darragh Stakelum all 0-2, Alan Tynan, Gearóid O’Connor, Andew Ormond all 0-1.

CORK: Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Eoin Downey, Seán O’Connor; Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey, Cormac O’Brien; Tim O’Mahony, Ethan Twomey; Diarmuid Healy, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett; Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly, Brian Hayes. Subs: Seamus Harnedy for Diarmuid Healy (48), Mark Coleman for Cormac O’Brien (51), Declan Dalton for Brian Hayes (53), Tommy O’Connell for Ethan Twomey (56), Shane Kingston for Shane Barrett (67)

TIPPERARY: Barry Hogan; Robert Doyle, Eoghan Connolly, Michael Breen; Joe Caesar, Ronan Maher, Bryan O’Mara; Craig Morgan, Willie Connors; Sam O’Farrell, Alan Tynan, Gearóid O’Connor; Darragh McCarthy, Jake Morris, Jason Forde. Subs: Darragh Stakelum for Willie Connors (23), Sean Kenneally for Joe Caesar (ht), Dylan Walsh for Gearoid O’Connor (44), Andrew Ormond for Darragh McCarthy (47), Seamus Kennedy for Alan Tynan (57)

Ref: Seán Stack (Dublin)