CATS BY A WHISKER
Cork fall short in game of catch-up after a wretched start
THOSE who believe a Rebel Rising is imminent would surely have had a grander ambition in mind than merely coming back up from the League’s second tier.
Pointless after two rounds, the prospect of Cork of achieving the top-three finish that would assure them of a place in next season’s redrawn seven-team Division 1 looks slim after this .
Even the fall-back of a play-off between the two teams who finish fourth in Division 1A and 1B for the last remaining spot will almost certainly be out of reach if they fail to beat Waterford in a fortnight’s time.
Yes, it is early days but, poking the eye of convention, hurling’s spring league is much closer to a sprint than a marathon.
Anyhow, given that Cork have gone 19 years without a national title, rather than seeking to survive in the spring it could be argued that they were the one team that could have done with thriving in it, given that they have to go back to the last century (1998) for the last time they won it.
But even if the League is something to be sniffed at rather than sought after – and the reality is that it continues to be squeezed dry of significance by the summer Championship league that matters – the sight of the black and amber stripes might have been expected to stir them here give that their modern rivalry has been tinged with a degree of animosity.
It did, too, but only for one half of the encounter.
Those who might have believed that the biggest stink that Páirc Uí Chaoimh would see this year was all that fuss over the rechristening of the place were forced to reconsider after the opening 26 minutes here.
At that stage Kilkenny led by 0-13 to 0-4, but as focused and assertive as the visitors were, it was Cork’s wretchedness that had the home crowd holding their noses.
There was not a single redeeming element to that opening period, with the possible exception of Tommy O’Connell’s energy, but it was their clueless gameplan that astounded.
The home side were mauled on their long puck-outs, yet it was when goalkeeper Patrick Collins went for the safe shorter option that the true level of the impoverished nature of their performance became evident.
Taking the ball short and passing it laterally without seeking to break the line which led to possession being turned over or the ball being driven to an absent forward line.
It was arguably as bad a period of play offered up by any team at this level in an age and yet by half-time, they were very much in the game as they just trailed by one score, 0-13 to 1-7, at the break.
The simple reason for that was that Cork stirred themselves while their opponents appeared to have been lulled into such a false sense of security that they failed to score in the final 12 minutes of the period.
And, critically, as the first half drifted into injury time, Conor Callaghan stormed through a gap in the middle of the Kilkenny defence and fired low past Eoin Murphy to somehow reduce this to a one-score game.
And that soft centre in the Kilkenny rearguard offered Cork a way back.
Whereas Kilkenny, for all their dominance, looked forced in trying to create goal chances, they came much easier for Cork.
Within two minutes of the restart, the excellent Seán Twomey centered for Pat Horgan, once more making a mockery of his 35 years by being one of the brightest players on the pitch, pulled it wide.
Seven minutes later Shane Kingston’s searing pace left him one-onone with Murphy, but his goal bound shot was beaten away by the Kilkenny netminder.
In a way that was probably the losing of the game, because at that stage roles had flipped, Kilkenny now appearing to be the bunny rabbits and Cork driving the lorry with the full beams on.
Thing is, with Kilkenny, they are not in the habit of staying dazed forever.
Adding to Derek Lyng’s sense of satisfaction, this was more a pinstriped version of the Cats (they started with just seven of last July’s All-Ireland final team) not least given the developmental feel to their half-back line.
All things considered, this display and victory amounted to more evidence that Lyng is building a squad that will have the depth needed for the long road ahead.
Shane Murphy, in particular, excelled in that new-look half-back line that was so central to their first-half dominance, while the sheer class and composure from Adrian Mullen would prove to be critical as he hit five points from play.
For all that, when Conor Lehane angled over a point to give Cork the lead (1-15 to 0-17) they looked the more likely winners.
But perhaps, the sporting gods decided that so wretched was their start that they did not deserve anything from this, which might explain why John Donnelly somehow defied a Cork traffic jam to get his shot off in the first minute of injury time to win the game.