NHL Division 1A: Wexford 0-12 Cork 2-21
Cork powered their way to a comfortable 16-point victory over a poor Wexford side in this opening round Division 1A Allianz National Hurling League game at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
Cork certainly laid down a positive marker from this opening game as they comfortably came away with both points. It was an impressive showing from the Rebels who included nine of their All-Ireland XV in the starting line-up, and with Robert Downey, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Padraic Power and Declan Dalton leading the way they overpowered a young and inexperienced Wexford.
Wexford were not helped with the amount of players missing, Liam Og McGovern, Matthew O’Hanlon, Dee O’Keeffe (all retired), along with the injured Conor McDonald, Liam Ryan, Damian Reck, Shane Reck and Jack O’Connor, as well as the travelling Oisin and Paudie Foley.
Cork selector Brendan Coleman let their league ambitions be known: “We’re trying to win it.”
“The last time the league title came to Leeside was in 1998. We want to win the league and that’s a positive start today. We would be quite happy with the display, while the newcomers all fitted in positively. We’re happy with that.
“Now we look ahead to Limerick. That’s a huge home game for us, but we realise we will have to step up even further. That’s the challenge.”
Wexford for their part fought doggedly in an effort to stay in the game but they were unable to match the physical presence of a Cork side that saw them impose themselves on the game from the opening exchanges.
Dominant in midfield where Darragh Fitzgibbon and Luke Meade dictated the trend of the game, they led 0-4 to 0-1 inside the opening 10 minutes with Brian Hayes, Declan Dalton (2) and Padraig Power all on target, with Cathal Dunbar managing a Wexford point in between.
With Dalton continuing to find the target along with a Shane Kingston run and point, Cork had swept into a 0-10 to 0-2 lead after 26 minutes.
On the half hour came the only goal of the half, when a long Dalton ball broke into the path of PadraIg Power who finished to the net from an acute angle to give Cork a 1-12 to 0-5 interval lead.
Wexford gave hope of a recovery when David Codd pointed within 60 seconds of the restart, but it was brief as Cork responded straight from the puckout.
Declan Dalton won possession on the 13m line and turned inside, leaving defender Conor Foley with no alternative but to bring him down. After Foley was black carded, Dalton stepped up to beat keeper Mark Fanning from the resulting penalty leaving his side with an unassailable lead of 2-12 to 0-6.
The game deteriorated following this as Cork simply went through the motions as the home side were reliant on Byrne pointed frees for their scores.
Both sides were reduced to 14 players in the 53rd minute, when a flare-up involving a number of players ended with Rory O’Connor and David Dalton being shown straight red cards.
The dominance of Cork was to continue but for Wexford, on the evidence of this showing, they already look like relegation candidates.
WEXFORD: M Fanning; N Murphy, S Donohoe, E Ryan; C McGuckin (0-1), C Foley, D Carley; C Hearne, David Codd (0-1); C Dunbar (0-1) R O’Connor (0-2), C Byrne-Dunbar; K Foley, S Casey, C Byrne (0-7, 7f). Subs: S Rowley for Carley (22 mins); R Lawlor for K Foley (34); J Redmond for Rowley (35); T Kinsell for Byrne-Dunbar (53); C Flood for Casey (66).
CORK: P Collins; N O’Leary, G Millerick S O’Donoghue; T O’Mahony R Downey, C O’Brien; L Meade, D Fitzgibbon (0-4, 2f); D Dalton (1-6, 1-0 pen, 0-2f), S Barrett, B Roche (0-1); B Hayes (0-3), P Power (1-3), S Kingston (0-2). Subs: D Cahalane for O’Donoghue (32 mins); E Twomey (0-2) for Downey (46); R Cotter for Barrett (64); C Lehane for Kingston (66).
Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
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