CORK MANAGER Conor Counihan wore the expression of a man vaguely worried to have been proved correct.

The hosannas from the defeat of Kerry still ringing around the land, the Munster champions had to face un-rated but perennially sticky opponents and minus two of their defensive stars from the last day, John Miskella (hamstring) and Anthony Lynch (groin), having to be replaced.

“I mentioned last week this would be a tough game and that Limerick would put it up to us. The fact that the media were putting us up on a pedestal after beating Kerry too . . . I equally said that we weren’t that good and I said that Kerry weren’t that great. Today had a lot to do with Limerick’s performance. We expected that we dealt with it as best we could on the day but we were extremely lucky.

“This team unfortunately has a habit of not doing things easy and today was one of those days. Having said that Limerick have a habit of not making this easy as well.

“We had studied them against Tipp and against Clare and this was their day in the sun and they were going to move everything. I’m very aware of that, I work on the Limerick border and I tell you I’ve gotten a fair gruelling all week and I’ll be getting a bit of a gruelling tomorrow as well.”

His opposite number, Limerick manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan, would have preferred to forget his last trip to Páirc Uí­ Chaoimh for a Munster final – the seismic thrashing when in charge of his native Kerry back in 1990. Yesterday he nearly pulled off the biggest shock since that eventful spell in management concluded with an historic defeat by Clare in 1992.

“You have to be philosophical about sport but it’s naturally very disappointing especially when you put it in the perspective of 113 years of history of defeat and you’re just one point off it. I know our lads gave it every last ounce in their preparation and I was very proud of them. They played a very attractive brand of football and very sporting. They’re devastated but they’ll bounce back.

“A game ebbs and flows and when we had the momentum we didn’t get enough scores and Cork got the two goals that won the game.”

He was critical of the punditry that had cast his team as no-hopers. “The big thing is very few people had seen Limerick play this year and they were stereotyping. There was no logic to some of the comments about Limerick football. All they had to do was come and watch us and they would have known that we are well coached, well prepared and we have we have some fine footballers.

“But people live in ivory towers and don’t go to the trouble of attending a training session and watching these guys.

Limerick centrefielder John Galvin was hugely disappointed. A veteran of the 2004 Munster final when his team pushed eventual All-Ireland winners Kerry to a replay and extra time, he was unimpressed by the popular statistic that the county hadn’t won the province since 1896.

“To tell you the truth 113 years doesn’t bother me. All I know is I’m playing 11 years and I haven’t won one. This is the third year going into it (a Munster final). In 2004 we should have beaten Kerry. In 2009 I’ll always look back and think we should have taken Cork when we had our chances.”