and celebrates All-Ireland glory with his team-mates
Cork 0-17 Kilkenny 0-9:Cork atoned for last year's final defeat to Kilkenny by demolishing the same opponents at Croke Park today following an inspired second half performance that yielded 11 scores to two in favour of the Munster men, reports Paul O'Hehir
Played out in front of 78,212 spectators at GAA headquarters, Cork squeezed the life out of Kilkenny in the second period when, having trailed Brian Cody's men by a point at the break, they stepped up several gears and played with renewed vigour and confidence, visibly forcing the Kilkenny players into a state of shock and panic.
By no means a classic, the offering served up did nevertheless provide edge-of-the-seat entertainment as raw courage and determination outweighed skill and flair. To be fair though the slippery surface made the prospect of open, flowing hurling remote from the outset.
Typical of the occasion both sides tore into each other from the off and the pace during the entire first half was relentless. However, despite the ferocity, the standard of hurling at times left a lot to be desired as both sides did their best to negotiate the tricky underfoot conditions.
Overnight rain and further spells of drizzle this morning ensured a greasy pitch and the surface played its part in a trying and testing opening period for both sets of players.
Kilkenny, for all their possession, led by just one point at the break and will have been disappointed not to have led a poor Cork outfit by more. Insisting on playing short puck outs, Cork were time and again losing out in the aerial battles, gifting the Kilkenny attack easy scoring opportunities.
Indeed, Kilkenny led by three points after 19 minutes with Cha Fitzpatrick and Martin Comerford pointing from play and Henry Shefflin once again proving deadly accurate from the dead ball but their inability to shake off Cork will have troubled the management team going into the dressing rooms.
While Joe Deane kept Cork's tally ticking over with a splatter of frees, the Munster finalists were left waiting until the 33rd minute for their first point from play. Full forward Brian Corcoran was willing to come outfield on occasion and capitalised on one such move with a fine score to rouse the Rebels.
Kilkenny's half-back line was dominating Cork's half forwards to such an extent that players like Niall and Timmy McCarthy were unable to exert the same influence they showed in the semi-final destruction of Wexford. As a result, more pressure was placed on the shoulders of those further upfield - Corcoran, Deane and Kieran Murphy.
Cork showed brief flashes of their ability in the dying stages of the half with midfielder Jerry O'Connor bursting through the Kilkenny rearguard to point in injury-time and reduce the deficit to just a single score.
Donal O'Grady's men emerged a revitalised team after the break and Niall McCarthy signalled his side's intentions with a fine individual point just minutes in. That score propelled Cork towards new heights and with that came slicker hurling and improved decision making.
Clever movement and speed of thought now formed the basis of Cork's game as they proved relentless going forward - McCarthy scoring two more fine points from play while Murphy and Deane also chipped in.
Kilkenny were clearly floundering by this stage and their impenetrable defensive unit of the first half was soon obliterated as Cork's rampaging forwards were unstoppable in their mission.
When Henry Shefflin pointed his fifth free 23 minutes from time no Kilkenny fan in the stadium realised it would be the last score they would cheer. Cork on the other hand kept the scoreboard operator active while goalkeeper Donal Cusack proved his worth with a fine save to deny Shefflin what looked a sure goal.
In the closing stages Joe Deane hit over his fourth and fifth frees of the afternoon while Ben O'Connor and Brian Corcoran, with the last strike of the match, hammered the final nails into the Kilkenny coffin to deny the holders their bid for three titles in-a-row.