All-Ireland SHC Final/ Kilkenny 1-16 Cork 1-13: Maybe it was the old story with favourites in this fixture. Maybe it was the oppressive effect of history on a Cork team heavily tipped to record a first three-in-a-row since 1978. Maybe it was the sheer attrition of going the distance on the road for a fourth successive year. But whatever the reason, the champions were comprehensively out-played by Kilkenny in yesterday's Guinness All-Ireland hurling final.
From the early stages the challengers were sharp, enthusiastic and utterly focused on disrupting Cork's settled patterns and familiar style of play. The winning platform was built on a greatly improved defensive performance, which denied Cork even the option of Plan B, as well as one of those out-of-the-blue scoring contributions that seem to crop up in All-Ireland finals.
Aidan Fogarty had struggled to extend a promising League campaign into the summer but yesterday he started positively by riding out a foul from Pat Mulcahy and exploiting the advantage applied by referee Barry Kelly to register a calmly taken point.
By the end of the first half he had added the score that defined the match, a cracking finish to a goal opportunity that serendipitously fell his way. In the second half he added a couple more points for good measure.
The three-point margin might suggest a more compelling contest. In truth, Cork were flattered to end up within a score of their opponents. But this was an unflinching display by Kilkenny, who took the field without one of their best players, JJ Delaney who was laid up with a cruciate injury, and an improvised defence.
The backs, however, excelled. Noel Hickey in particular responded with a marvellous spoiling display that had the crucial effect of neutralising Brian Corcoran's influence at the apex of Cork's attack. It is a testimony to the veteran's importance that he stayed on the field until the end, as if Cork hoped that somehow he could find his game and provide the beachhead his team so desperately needed.
The need was all the more stark because Cork's customary support game was severely malfunctioning due to the close attentions of Kilkenny's tireless cover.
Unyieldingly they tried the short ball and hand-passes that has characterised the team's rise to prominence and with it an unbeaten run stretching back 13 matches and over two years. Every time a support runner was found he appeared to be surrounded by what looked like a clutch of Tyrone footballers in black-and-amber jerseys.
Unable to throw open the customary runways, Cork seldom managed to unleash their fast, direct centrefield and half-forward lines, and their challenge never gained altitude.
Yet for much of the match the result was within Cork's reach. They withstood an opening blitz when Kilkenny tried to open the play and get some telling early scores. As expected Shefflin switched into full forward to probe for any weakness on the champions' inside line. He didn't really find it but, beside him, Fogarty was giving Mulcahy trouble from the start.
It was a surprise that Cork's management let the situation worsen considerably before taking remedial action. Even a switch of corner backs might have subdued the Kilkenny rookie but it wasn't until after half-time that Brian Murphy went over on to Fogarty and all of 48 minutes before obvious replacement Wayne Sherlock was brought into the match.
Cork's half backs, the most vaunted line in hurling, had one of their least authoritative days. Ronan Curran started ablaze and was everywhere for most of the opening quarter but once Shefflin moved out, the Kilkenny man made sure that his marker's influence was limited.
On either wing it wasn't much happier with Seán Óg Ó hAilpístarting well but becoming increasingly troubled as the match wore on and John Gardiner giving an undisciplined display, thrashing three possessions wide and sailing close to the wind with a couple of fouls.
Pressure was ever-present and there was little of the considered ball that the formidable trio normally provide for the forwards.
Stymied on so many fronts, it took some big individual performances from Cork to keep prospects afloat. Niall McCarthy tried his heart out and gave a season's best display. He scored one point, was fouled for two converted frees and provided the scoring pass for another 1-2.
Ben O'Connor also emerged with impressive figures, five scores from five attempts for 1-4. But in that part of the field the big story was Kilkenny's defence. Hickey thoroughly contaminated the expected supply from Corcoran and took sweet revenge for the final of two years ago when he was unable to do just that.
Tommy Walsh maintained his excellent form at wing back and so efficient were his full backs that there was never any need to send him rushing back to sort out crises on the inside line. He popped up with clockwork precision wherever danger threatened across the line and had great support from John Tennyson, who despite Niall McCarthy's exploits, hurled plenty of ball.
On the other wing James Ryall had an excellent game, featuring a tremendous steal off Jerry O'Connor's stick in the 42nd minute.
Having been so relentlessly challenged, Cork would have been happy to get to the break on level terms but Fogarty's goal ripped the match open for Kilkenny. He flashed on to a mistake by O'Sullivan, who fumbled a ball, and while Mulcahy lost sight of it, Fogarty crashed the goal past Donal Cusack.
A three-point lead in a low-scoring match was always going to be a steep reclamation job and Cork needed to do it quickly after the break. But they were unable to get a sustained run on their opponents. Joe Deane, well marshalled by Michael Kavanagh - another redemptive display after two years ago - in play, missed a handy free in the 41st minute and the sense of an unbridgeable gap took hold.
Kilkenny's elusive lead was emphasised by the manner in which they four times managed to reply within 60 seconds to scores by Cork. Younger and faster, Kilkenny poured forward and tightened the screw. It had been expected that their centrefield would set down the gauntlet to the polished machinery of Tom Kenny and Jerry O'Connor but by the end they had done better than that.
Far from making inroads, the champions started to slip farther off the pace and by the 63rd minute the margin had stretched to six, 1-15 to 1-12. In the 67th minute Ben O'Connor finished off some good work by Niall McCarthy to score the goal that halved the deficit but it was too late to bring the match within reasonable reach.
Cork have been great champions and they now have worthy successors. Kilkenny have finished the year unbeaten in four competitions and they look like they'll be around for some time to come.
KILKENNY: 1. J McGarry; 2. M Kavanagh, 3. N Hickey, 4. J Tyrell (capt); 5. J Ryall, 6. J Tennyson, 7. T Walsh; 8. D Lyng (0-1), 9. J Fitzpatrick (0-1); 13. E Brennan (0-1), 14. M Comerford (0-1), 12. E Larkin; 10. R Power (0-1). 11. H Shefflin (0-8, five points frees), 15. A Fogarty (1-3). Subs: 23. W O'Dwyer for Larkin (46 mins), 18. R Mullally for Lyng (69 mins).
CORK: 1. D Cusack; 4. P Mulcahy (capt), 3. D O'Sullivan, 2. B Murphy; 5. J Gardiner (0-1), 6. R Curran, 7. S Óg Ó hAilpin; 8. T Kenny, 9. J O'Connor (0-1); 10. T McCarthy, 11. N McCarthy (0-1), 13. B O'Connor (1-4, one free); 12. N Ronan, 14. B Corcoran, 15. J Deane (0-6, five frees). Subs: 23. K Murphy (Sarsfields) for Ronan (40 mins), 17. W Sherlock for Mulcahy (48 mins), 22. C Naughton for T McCarthy (59 mins), 18. C O'Connor for K Murphy (65 mins), 24. C Cusack for Kenny (70 mins).
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).
Attendance: 82,275.
