CORK BLOODIED BY WATERFORD
The Déise win a feisty encounter as Rebels slump to a second league loss
WHILE there was an exciting finish – one that got extremely feisty as well with two late red cards and plenty more yellow – as Cork sought an equalising goal, for long periods the story of Waterford’s second Allianz Hurling League Division 1A wins was fairly straightforward.
A goal deep into injury time from Patrick Horgan brought Cork to within three points of their visitors, but for most of the night there was a chasm between the two teams, especially early in the second half when Waterford scored five of the first six points of the second half and threatened to really pull away.
They led by 0-16 to 0-8 after that good start to the second period, but Cork summoned a response and ate into the lead, albeit without creating a clear-cut goal chance in regulation time.
The pre-match narrative was that Waterford were coming in on a high after beating Kilkenny, contrasted with Cork’s poor performance against Galway in their opener, and the first half largely continued that overall pattern.
From the off, the visitors were sharper, benefiting with their matchups and utilising extra defensive manpower to repel Cork’s searching balls, which were often launched without the necessary accuracy.
Philip Mahony, Darragh Fives and Kevin Moran flourished in Derek McGrath’s side’s half-back line, taking advantage of the protection offered by the presence of Colin Dunford and Austin Gleeson. This allowed them to create a wealth of scoring chances, some taken in impressive fashion though also with plenty of wastage as they amassed six first-half wides.
Maurice Shanahan’s opener from a long-range free set the tone and Waterford might have had an early goal as Jake Dillon found Patrick Curran in space. His shot from a tight angle was well saved by Anthony Nash, however.
Moran and Fives also got on the scoresheet as they build a 0-5 to 0-2 lead inside the opening 13 minutes but Cork looked to have settled as Horgan’s good win set a move going, one which ended with a Daniel Kearney point, and then Brian Lawton nailed one from distance.
Between the 19th and 28th minutes, though, Waterford went into overdrive as they scored five more points to Cork’s one, Shanahan augmenting his tally as Curran and Dillon both registered too.
Horgan remained Cork’s best source of scores and his third point – from behind his own 65 – and fourth kept them in touch, though Curran’s second, having done well to win Gleeson’s sideline, ensured that they led by 0-11 to 0-7 at half-time.
A powerful reaction would have been expected from Cork, but instead, Waterford scored five of the first six points after the restart as the outcome began to look inevitable.
Curran got the run going with a free while the hard-working Colin Dunford got in on the act and Gleeson nailed his second before Shane Bennett and Barron – from a super Gleeson pass – made it double scores, 0-16 to 0-8, by the 47th minute.
Just when things looked cut and dried though, Cork managed to up their game, with the introduction of Mark Ellis in defence giving them a more solid look. Brian Lawton got his second before Aidan Walsh sent a sideline cut straight over and sub Alan Cadogan was also on target. When Conor Lehane scored two in the space of a minute, they only trailed by five, 0-19 to 0-14.
Gleeson’s third, a free from distance, steadied Waterford but not before Shanahan was red-carded by James Owens for an off-the-ball incident. The numerical disparity lasted
for barely a minute, however, as Cadogan followed him, dismissed d for a similar incident at the other end.
Lingering resentment from those two events carried over into further scuffles as the game looked to be petering out, but in the third minute of injury time e Cork were awarded a free just oututside the 20m line and Horgan dis-dis- patpatched the ball beyond Stephen O’Keeffe.O
They needed another chance and they got it, falling to Paudie O’Sullivan, but his low effort was well kept out by O’Keeffe and the ball cleared to safety. W Waterford look certainties for th the knockout stages, while Cork ma may have to fight a relegation battlebattl after two defeats.. WATERFORD: S O’Keeffe; S Fives, N Connors, B Coughlan; P Mahony, D Fives, K Moran; A Gleeson, J Barron; M Walsh, P Curran (T Devine 62), J Dillon; C Dunford (M Kearney 70), S Bennett (B O’Halloran 59), M Shanahan. ScORERS: M Shanahan 0-5 (0-4f, 0-1 65), P Curran 0-4 (0-1f, A Gleeson 0-3 (0-1f), C Dunford, J Barron 0-2 each, K Moran, S Bennett, D Fives, J Dillon 0-1 each. cORK: A Nash; C Spillane (C Murphy 48), S McDonnell S O’Neill; D Cahalane, C Joyce, W Egan (M Ellis 45); D Kearney (S Moylan half-time), A Walsh (C McCarthy 58, blood); B Cooper, P Horgan, L McLoughlin (P O’Sullivan 65); B Lawton, W Leahy (A Cadogan half-time), C Lehane. ScORERS: P Horgan 1-6 (1-4f), C Lehane 0-3, B Lawton 0-2, A Walsh (sl), D Kearney, A Cadogan 0-1 each. REFEREE: J Owens (Wexford).