We should have known. There is an otherworldly symmetry to these championship days and so there will be last Munster final in the glorious mausoleum of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, with Blood and Bandage in the parade.
And JBM on the side line.
In a reprise of last September’s extraordinary series, Cork defeated All-Ireland champions Clare and will meet Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on July 13th, the last game before the old place is turned over to the builders and, perhaps, the exorcists.
This was a triumph of mind and body for the Rebels, who were rampant in the second half and finished comfortably on a score line of 2-23 to 2-18.
Stinging Clare
It wasn’t anything like the aria that gripped the country last September, with Patrick Horgan stinging Clare for 2-11 from placed balls in a cagey, tactical afternoon.
The Rebel defence had been a wonderland for Clare’s adventurous forward line last September but in this reunion, Clare’s brightest lights – Conor McGrath and Podge Collins and Tony Kelly – were swallowed up in red.
Stephen McDonnell had a fabulous influence for Cork from corner back, while fullback Damien Cahalane followed the rangy Peter Duggan out to the wing to neutralise his fielding and Mark Ellis held the back six together.
Aidan Walsh made big ball fanatics weep as thrice he soared to make memorable catches which acted like full-throttle signals for the entire stadium.
And up front, Alan Cadogan, Séamus Harnedy and Conor Lehane kept the Clare defence stretched and stressed. Everything worked for Cork.
“I get a lot of slagging about not being a tactical genius and I never claim to be,” smiled Barry-Murphy when the day was done.
“But I think if your players are focused on the game, you try to target players on the opposition team who might match up with your players. Our players certainly did that today.”
Last year, the uncharitable view of Cork was they had somehow stumbled to an All-Ireland final, buoyed mainly by JBM’s uncanny ability to craft contenders overnight and Anthony Nash’s Howitzer goal strikes.
The Kanturk man stayed on his goal line yesterday and still Cork won and they enjoyed sensational points from play from Daniel Kearney, Lehane and Walsh.
Lethal exhibition
In Horgan, they had a heartbreaker, two wides the only stains on a lethal exhibition of shooting. The first goal, on 33 minutes, broke the match open, a cheeky free which caught everyone on the hop.
“Probably shouldn’t gone in because it so far out, like, and the boys in goal probably got a good look at it,” Horgan shrugged.
“So it was lucky it went in today. Guarantee you, the next day it could be totally different. You wouldn’t know.”
Who knows how Cork were smarting this winter?
The first-half free count of five to 12 against Clare looked lopsided in what was a clean game but Davy Fitzgerald knew his boys weren’t themselves here.
If they were skating on ice last year, here they waded through water. The midfield and feisty young Under-21 fullback Jack Browne withdrawn in the second half, hurler of the year Tony Kelly held to a first- half point and a late goal from Darach Honan barely raising a ripple of applause.
The champions fell out on contention in the sunshine and the crowd of 28,660 made it sound like a day out by the Lee. Heavy lies the crown.
“Listen, you can’t take away what the lads have done,” Fitzgerald murmured.
“But I am worried now. There has been a lot taken out of the lads. A few lads think you can play both codes – you can’t do it.
‘Took a lot out of us’
“There are lads think the last six or eight months took a lot out of us. It did. You could see it there. I don’ t think we were as zippy or as fresh as we should be. That is my honest opinion. I gave up three weeks to the clubs there as well. Cork were better on the field of play and it doesn’t matter about decisions or lack of decisions”
It wasn’t quite a valedictory and you could sense that Fitzgerald was using every ounce of discipline not to give both barrels to the world of officialdom. But what use would it have done? And he knew. Cork were superior here. He acknowledged it, kept going back to it.
“Look, this is the most important thing: Cork played a great game. They were a better team and they totally deserved their victory. Cork have serious pace. And I have to say I love playing them because Cork will play hurling all day against you and try and work that ball.
“Your hats have to be off to the way they carry on out on the field. You know there is going to be no dirty slaps out there.”
Hats off, then. The Rebels yell. Clare are back where they were a year ago.
“I think we will struggle this time,” Fitzgerald said tiredly. “But they are fighters.”
