User:rorynoonanDate:24/06/2013Time:08:26:50Edition:24/06/2013MonEchoMon240613Page:56Color:
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Evening Echo
Athletics: Road race news and results: P40
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Rugby: Lions claim
win by skin of their teeth: P38/39
LIONS RUGBY
Seamus Harnedy reacts to overcoming Clare yesterday.
Read Éamonn Murphy’s player ratings: P50. User:seanmccarthyDate:24/06/2013Time:08:16:28Edition:24/06/2013MonEchoMon240613Page:50Color:
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PLAYER RATINGS ANTHONY NASH: Another hugely commanding display from the All-Star keeper. Three critical saves and two monster points from frees. Plus his puck-outs were varied and accurate. 9 SHANE O’NEILL: Though Pádraic Collins drifted clear to pilfer a few points, O’Neill had a colossal second half. Swept onto any loose ball and offered leadership from the corner. 8 STEPHEN McDONNELL: In the early stages he was in major trouble with Darach Honan, but he stayed the course and held him to those two early points and a few goal chances. 7 CONOR O’SULLIVAN: Like McDonnell he found Conor McGrath a handful early, but got on top as the game aged. In the end McGrath was off and O’Sullivan was mopping up all round him. 7 TOM KENNY: Stormer in the second half, where his experience saw him collect puck-outs and distribute the ball intelligently. He directly set up 0-2 and never backed down an inch. 8 BRIAN MURPHY: How many times did he touch the sliothar? It didn’t matter because his expert man-marking job on Tony Kelly held the prodigious 20-year-old to just a single point. 8 WILLIAM EGAN: Either side of half-time when Cork desperately needed to gain a foothold in the half-back sector, the wing man was immense, his distribution superb. 9 CHRIS JOYCE: After an iffy opening 35 minutes, the talented U21 was far more dominant after. He pulled some tricky balls from the air and his positioning allowed Murphy to track Kelly. 7 DANIEL KEARNEY: That Cork didn’t struggle in midfield despite their injuries was largely down to the dynamism, aggression and stick-work of the Kearney. Man of the match contender. 9 SEAMUS HARNEDY: What a debut! Official MVP, his form for UCC and on the training ground carried into championship. Worked like a dog but also lashed over 0-3. Outstanding. 9 CIAN McCARTHY: Though he made way for Cronin in the finish, McCarthy was a highly effective spoiler in the half-forwards. He negated the influence of a gifted Clare half-back unit. 7 CONOR LEHANE: Another player who excelled in the second half. His pace and fitness opened up the Banner at a vital stage and he won two converted frees as well as his 0-2 from play. 7 LUKE O’FARRELL: Always a threat, with a better supply he would have shot the lights out. Still clipped over 0-2 and set up 0-3. He’s fast and clinical enough to have a massive summer. 8 PATRICK HORGAN: His work-rate and drive matched his skill yesterday. The result? A fantastic 70 minutes. He shot 0-3 from play and was fouled for three frees he popped over. 8 STEPHEN MOYLAN: Nothing fell right for the Douglas corner-forward in the opening 30 minutes, and after a few turnovers, he was called ashore to make way for Jamie Coughlan. 6 SUBS JAMIE COUGHLAN: Impact sub and then some. His first play was to set up a Lehane point, his second a score of his own. A couple of his shots were outrageous yet soared over! 8 PATRICK CRONIN: Lifted the crowd on his introduction, snaring a couple of puck-outs, and arching over a neat point. Hopefully he’ll be fully fit for the Munster final. 7
Compiled by ÉAMONN MURPHY
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Cork’s attitude was exemplary Monday, June 24, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
Work-rate by forwards set the tone
REACTION
HURLING
Conor Lehane, Cork, controls the sliothar under pressure from Clare’s Patrick Donnellan, during the Munster SHC semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. Picture: Sportsfile
THREE POSTIVES FOR CORK HURLERS 1 3 2
THE RESULT: It didn’t matter how they did it, but the Rebels simply had to deliver a victory yesterday. Last year was decent, but for Cork hurling to get motoring again they need to be playing regularly in Munster finals and at Croker in August.
THE PERFORMANCE: While accepting the breaks went their way, especially in not conceding a first-half goal, this was a ferociously intense and skilful Rebel display. Their use of possession, aerial strength and finishing was top class.
TACTICS: As often happens on Leeside, a lot of recent criticism has been directed at the management. Yesterday they got their team selection and match-ups bang on, made influential subs. And their fitness was powerful in the closing stages.
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Lehane: We always had the self-belief By ÉAMONN MURPHY
FORGET the wonderfully crisp stick-passing and sensational points Cork shot yesterday, the most significant and encouraging element of a terrific win over Clare was their work-rate. With 10 minutes to play and Cork leading by seven points, Patrick Horgan tracked and harried his way from corner-forward all the way back to the number two berth to cover Shane O’Neill. That Clare engineered a score afterwards was irrelevant. Horgan’s commitment to the cause and determination to reach just his second Munster final in his sixth season on the squad summed up a hugely encouraging Rebel performance. No one should get carried away and there’s been no trophy handed out yet. Limerick on their own turf in a Munster final under former Cork boss John Allen is no gimme. To really say they’ve made progress after a decent 2012, Jimmy Barry-Murphy knows his young charges need to lift the Munster title for the first time since 2006. After all, Denis Walsh guided Cork to the provincial final in ’10 after an epic dismantling of Tipp in the Páirc, but their failure to defeat Waterford saw that go to waste. To a degree ‘Cork are back’, yet there’s still some distance left to run in this campaign before they can really say they’re a force once more. Beating Waterford in the Munster minor semi-final at Páirc Uí Rinn on Wednesday night is critical too. Leaving aside the bigger picture, this was a game and result to savour. And Horgan’s attitude was one of the main reasons. Horgan is always capable of the moments of magic that made him a three-year Cork minor, but his consistency and application has been questioned more than once. Yesterday three scores came directly from the Glen man turning over Clare. Luke O’Farrell did the same when blocking down Pat Donnellan for a Jamie Coughlan point on the sideline, while Coughlan had set the tone to assist a Conor Lehane effort just before the break. Daniel Kearney turned over a ball he’d no right to win for an O’Farrell score to push Cork 0-18 to 0-12 clear, midway through the second half. It’s no good having a clutch of wristy forwards if they can’t swarm the opposition defenders, collect possession in the air and win the dirty
SPORT
Cork’s Patrick Horgan gets away from Clare’s David McInerney during their Munster SHC semi-final at the Gaelic Grounds. ball on the breaks. Yesterday the Cork attack ticked all those boxes. Midfield was another area of note. Though Seamus Harnedy was a worthy man of the match — given he landed 0-3 and limited All-Star Brendan Bugler’s contribution after coming into the championship 15 despite a couple of average league outings — Kearney was arguably the most influential Rebel over the 70 minutes. His energy ensured only Colm Galvin was the only Banner player had any real bearing on the contest from the middle third of the field, which Clare had lorded in their previous wins at Páirc Uí Rinn and in the relegation play-off. With Patrick Cronin only fit enough to come on in the latter stages and Lorcán McLoughlin ruled out there was a danger Cork would be over-run at centre-field. Instead they established the platform from which they won from the middle. Na Piarsiagh’s Chris Joyce has played most of his hurling up to now at centre- or wing-back, and JBM and his selectors took a calculated risk starting him at midfield yesterday, basically after he impressed for his club in a recent win over Erin’s Own. It meant Tom Kenny dropped back to the wing, and though neither Joyce nor Kenny settled initially (both were punished for stray handpasses), the management’s call was vindicated after the break. Kenny’s experience meant he offered cover for stand-in captain Brian Murphy, who was pushed out to centre-back to track Clare play-
maker Tony Kelly, who had done real damage in previous meetings. Murphy stuck on Kelly like chewing gum in hair, and Kenny helped keep the shape of a solid half-back unit in which William Egan was sublime at stages. Joyce also proved a fine foil to the hard-running Kearney in the second half, and they supported the half-forwards in shutting down Clare’s much vaunted half-backs. Last Friday Cork’s physical trainer Dave Matthews stated in a national paper that he was adamant the hard yards the squad had put in the aftermath of losing the relegation play-off to Clare meant they’d be hopping off the ground yesterday. It was a bolshie claim to make on the eve of Cork’s most important match of the season, but his faith was justified. The Rebels were fit and sharp throughout, and never really looked like being reeled in when a Harnedy point put them 0-12 to 0-11 up after 10 minutes of the second half. Kildare native and former
Olympic runner Matthews wasn’t the only one vindicated. JBM and the management took a huge risk moving forward without Seán Óg, Donal Óg and John Gardiner after already losing Eoin Cadogan, Damien Cahalane and Darren Sweetnam for the year to football and rugby. Their absence put pressure on the likes of Anthony Nash, Daniel Kearney and William Egan to deliver and all three were immense yesterday. Seán Óg had a pop off JBM’s management decisions in The Sunday Independent yesterday, but — for now — there’s no disputing the direction he’s taken this group. Egan had couple of false dawns before, with Seán Óg ousting him from the side midway through last summer, but he’s come of age now. Nash was All-Star last season and could head the same route again. His three saves were hugely important, and his puck-outs were excellent too. He always exudes authority and in a team that’s unsure of its standing, that’s important.
Picture: Sportsfile
Of course it wasn’t a flawless showing. With Murphy hounding Tony Kelly there was a prairie in front of the full-back line and at times O’Neill, Stephen McDonnell and Conor O’Sullivan were exposed, with Cork fortunate not to concede a couple of demoralising early goals. Limerick see that as something they could expose in three weeks. The Rebels didn’t raise a green flag nor did they threaten to, apart from a Harnedy point when he could have off-loaded. It’s something to target on the training ground. That they head back to CIT and the Páirc to prepare for a Munster final changes everything of course. If ever a team has gone from zeroes to heroes after one victory it’s Cork. They’ll stay grounded though. They couldn’t kick-on after channelling all the negativity into a hammering of Tipp in the league opener. They simply can’t afford to let that happen again. I don’t think they will either. Roll on July 14. Cork hurling – it seems – is back!
THREE NEGATIVES FOR CORK HURLERS 2 3 1
LACK OF A GOAL: Though it was particularly significant the Rebels out-pointed the Banner, they didn’t really offer a goal threat. Seamus Harnedy and Luke O’Farrell had two half-chances, but it’s an aspect of the play to improve before July 14.
HYPE: In championship, one result can have an incredible bearing on perceptions. For Cork to win, and hurl with such class, there will be massive expectation now of a Munster title. Limerick, especially under John Allen, should not be underestimated.
SLOW START: While it didn’t matter in the greater scheme of things, Clare were 0-5 to 0-2 up initially and could have pounced for at least one goal. JBM and his selectors will want to tighten up the full-back line and start better in the provincial final.
CONOR LEHANE was brought up on a diet of epic Munster hurling final wins for the Rebels. Now the gifted U21 wing-forward from Midleton will get the chance to emulate the dominant Cork outfit of the mid-noughties when they face Limerick in the Gaelic Grounds on July 14. After a promising league in 2012 Lehane never took off in championship, but yesterday he made his mark with two lovely points and a whole-hearted effort, particularly in the second half as Cork wore down Clare’s half-back line. He insisted the squad had the belief in their own abilities to do the business against Clare yesterday, despite the Banner’s status as favourites, and the absence of Lorcán McLoughlin, Paudie O’Sullivan and Patrick Cronin, who did make a late cameo. “Everything was against us with injuries and all that, but the belief was still there. We knew ourselves what we were capable of doing.” Lehane paid tribute to the contribution of physical trainer Dave Matthews on the training ground since the league, when Clare twice defeated them after overwhelming the Rebels in the latter stages. “Dave is an utter professional and if he tells you you’re going to be fit and ready for championship if you stick to his regime you believe him. He’s that kind of person.” He also felt Cork’s ability to maximise the wind, out-shooting Clare 0-15 to 0-4 in the second half, was key. “We were three points down at half-time, but we knew the wind was very strong and a big factor, and once that held up for the second half, which it did, we were going to be able to use that. We had to make full use of the wind and we did.” Lehane argued the squad weren’t too bothered about proving the doubters wrong, but simply wanted to get Cork hurling back to the halcyon days of crunch games with trophies on the line. “There’s nothing better than winning when you’re not favourites, everyone knows that, but we just wanted to get Cork hurling back to a Munster final. That was very important for the panel and also everyone who loves Cork hurling.” The next challenge is Limerick on their turf, the Gaelic Grounds. “It’s going to be a great final. Limerick showed how good they are in beating Tipp and we’ll have huge respect for them. It’ll be very difficult but it’s where you want to be, playing in a Munster final against a top team. We’ll go anywhere to play in a final, it’s just great to be there.”
Seamus Harnedy celebrates after scoring a late point against Clare in yesterday’s Munster SHC at the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. Picture: Sportsfile
A star is born for Rebels A YOUNG man from a small junior club in East Cork became an instant hero with Rebel hurling fans yesterday after making a huge contribution to a famous win over Clare. Seamus Harnedy hails from the St Ita’s club in Gortroe, a small village between Killeagh and Youghal. The 22-year-old — a son of Cathy Landers, who won six All-Ireland camogie medals, one as captain — fired over a hat-trick of precious points as Cork romped home by eight points to qualify for a Munster final with John Allen’s Limerick on July 14. “I am absolutely over the moon,” said the wing-forward, whose rich form for UCC saw him handed his debut. “It’s a fantastic feeling to be going into a Munster final but we have nothing won yet. A lot of people had written us off in the last few weeks so we are just delighted. “It was nice experience to have got out there and played my first senior championship
Harnedy does east Cork junior club proud with a huge display in Munster semi-final HURLING By JOHN HORGAN
game for Cork. I was just lucky that the ball broke my way. Harnedy only made a handful of league appearances, but an injuries to Patrick Cronin and Paudie O’Sullivan opened up a slot for championship. “It’s hard to get possession but it went well for me and I just want to say thanks to Jimmy Barry and the selection panel for giving me a try. There was a lot of us going for places and thank God I got the nod, so it was nice to be able to give them something back.’’ The first of his three points was crucial, he acknowledged, giving him more confidence as the game aged. “It was nice to
Kerry break their Cork hoodoo: P48
O’Connell ruled out of Lions tour
“I know they won’t all go as swimmingly as this, but it’s great to be in a Munster final.’’
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Ladies Football:
get that point, but I could have given it to Stephen Moylan. I went for the shot and it did settle me. “Looking back, Stephen might not be too happy with me but look, I’ll learn from that. Hopefully, I’ll get more days like today. I know they won’t all go as swimmingly as this.’’ The intensity of the 70 minutes was something he had not experienced before. “Definitely not, but we had a lot of fitness work done under Dave Matthews and we geared ourselves for this match. Dave and the selection panel had us in top shape.’’ ● Meanwhile, Seán Óg Ó hAilpin has come under fire after criticism of the make-up of JBM’s panel appeared in an interview yesterday. The Na Piarsaigh man was especially an-
noyed with the decision to axe John Gardiner. “It just doesn't make hurling sense to me how you can leave out a fella like that. There's guys there being called in from places I've never even heard of. John has been playing club senior hurling for years. There must be other reasons.” He also admitted he’d love to get involved in coaching with Cork at some level, but that his involvement in the strikes could militate against that. “I'd say if I was in a line of 100 candidates I probably wouldn't even be considered. The reason why? The stand I was involved with (three strikes). Most of the people on the other side of fence are still there. I don't want to necessarily go working with Cork first.” ● See pages 50/53.
THERE was disastrous news yesterday for Munster’s Paul O’Connell after he was ruled out of the rest of the Lions’ Test series with a fractured arm, ZULWHV 6(¤1 0F&$57+<. The 85 times-capped Ireland international picked up the injury in Saturday’s 23-21 victory in the first Test at Suncorp Stadium and the extent of the problem was revealed after further assessment. Arguably the Lions’ most influential forward, O’Connell had been an integral part of head coach Warren Gatland’s plans as they head to Melbourne 1-0 up. Meanwhile Simon Zebo, Conor Murray, Rob Kearney and Sean O’Brien start tomorrow’s game in Melbourne against Super 15 side Melbourne Rebels. Rory Best and most recent call-up Tom Court are among the replacements for the game. Dan Lydiate will captain Lions instead of Geoff Parling, who has been withdrawn from the starting line-up following Paul O’Connell’s tour-ending injury. Ospreys second row Ian Evans will start against the Rebels in place of Parling, while Ireland and Ulster prop Tom Court has been drafted onto the replacements' bench for Makovina Vunipola, who is being rested as cover for the 2nd Test due to Alex Corbisiero’s calf injury. Tom Croft comes on to the bench for Evans. Lions team to play Rebels: R Kearney (Ireland), S Maitland (Scotland) M Tuilagi (England), B Barritt (England), S Zebo (Ireland), O Farrell (England), C Murray (Ireland), R Grant (Scotland), R Hibbard (Wales), D Cole (England), R Gray (Scotland), I Evans (Wales), D Lydiate (Wales, capt), S O’Brien (Ireland), T Faletau (Wales). Replacements R Best (Ireland), T Court (Ireland), M Stevens (England) T Croft (England), J Tipuric (Wales), B Youngs (England), B Twelvetrees (England), S Hogg (Scotland).
● See pages 38/39.