Wrap up: Kilkenny were incredible yet again. We are running out of superlatives to describe them. The gap at the end of the match was 12 points, but it could have been even more. Brian Hogan and Henry Shefflin were injured in the first half but astonishingly it didn’t seem to effect them. Richie Power, Cha Fitzpatrick and Michael Fennelly were magnificent as were almost all of the team. Cork were disappointing, but improved later in the match and can at least take some pride in winning the second half. Waterford take on Tipperary in the other semi-final, but performances like this today make the result in the final seem academic.
Thanks very much for joining us.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Cyril Farrell, “Richie Power and Michael Fennelly have proved themselves to be up there with the Henry Shefflins of this world. The game was won in a 15 minute period today. There is no doubt that they are the greatest team we have ever seen.”
Tomas Mulcahy: “We were blown away. From a Cork perspective; is this the end of the road? Today they were beaten by a way better team.”
Brian Cody: “We don’t think about what other people’s perceptions are. We just go out and play hurling.”
The Charity Shield finished 3-1 to Man United by the way. Kalou pulled one back for Chelsea in the 83rd minute, before Berbatov scored United’s third in injury time.
Full time
Horgan scores his sixth point of the game, he can hold his head up high. Even though they are 12 points behind, the score flatters Cork. Kilkenny have taken their foot off the pedal.
Terrific point from Ben O’Connor. Strangely, 17 points would be enough to win many games yet they are 13 behind. The ball is played into Michael Cussin, whose shot is saved by PJ Ryan, who was probably delighted to get something to do.
James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick is substituted for Emeralds’ Derek Ling and rightfully gets a standing ovation. Niall McCarthy and Jerry O’Connor score a couple of points for Cork.
Who else but Richie Power? A long ball is played into the Carrickshock man, who makes a great catch before smashing the ball into the net. He has scored 1-08 today.
Goal Kilkenny
Ben O’Connor scores his fifth free for the Rebels, before Richie Power scores his sixth free for the Cats. Kilkenny are threading water at the moment.
Richie Power mishits a shot at goal, and Donal Og Cusack comfortably saves. A minute later, however, Power scored with a free to increase the gap to 14 once again.
John Gardiner scores a point from distance. Eddie Brennan is replaced by Michael Rice who almost instantly has a goal chance but his shot is blocked. Pat Horgan scores his fourth point for Cork, but that is replied to with a point from Martin Comerford.
Horgan taps over his and Cork’s third point in a row. Eddie Brennan passes to James Cha Fitzpatrick who taps one over again for Kilkenny to increase the gap to 14.
JJ Delaney was fouled by John Dalton. Pat Horgan’s penalty is tapped over by PJ Ryan. Horgan’s first point of the game. Appaling penalty. Horgan adds another point a minute later.
Penalty Cork
Ben O’Connor scores Cork’s first point for 16 minutes from a free. This match is absolutely dead. You can’t help but admire Kilkenny, but lets hope either Waterford or Tipp can give them a game.
It’s 2-0 to Man Utd now in the Charity Shield. Javi Hernandez was the scorer. In off his face apparently.
Eddie Brennan and Cha Fitzpatrick score two more great points. Kilkenny are rubbing it in now. They really have no empathy. If they see blood then they must devour the whole of the animal.
Game restarts. Aidan Fogarthy is fouled and Richie Power pops the free over. Richie Power then scores another from distance to increase the gap to 15 points.
Half time
Appalling miss by Ben O’Connor. The game is over, hopefully Cork can make it respectable in the second half.
Richie Power, who has been incredible so far, scores a free from 80 metres to increase the gap to 13!
After Ben O’Connor scores Cork’s first point for 13 minutes, JOE’s own Sean Og O hAilpin scores a great point from the halfway line. Those two points are only a brief respite, however, as TJ Reid pops one over for Kilkenny. All of the Cats’ forwards have scored now.
Eoin Larkin scores another point. This is getting ridiculous.
Ben O’Connor lobs the side-line ball into Aisake O hAilpin, but it is easily cleared. It is played into Richie Power who taps it over to increase the gap to 12. Surely it’s over already.
Power taps over a free. Shefflin can walk at least but he is being replaced by O’Loughlin Gaels Martin Comerford, who immediately scores a point. Michael Fennelly taps one over too to increase the gap even further.
It is half time in the Charity Shield. 1-0 to Man Utd. Back in Croker Henry Shefflin looks like he could be in trouble after falling down awkwardly on his knee. It looks nasty.
Subsitute James Ryall played the ball in, Donal Og Cusack spilled it, and Aidan Fogarthy punished him by sticking it in the goal. Fogarthy quickly adds another point.
Goal Kilkenny
Shefflin taps the ball over the bar easy as you like. He follows that up with a poor wide, though.
Eddie Brennan’s goal was sandwiched in between points by Richie Power and Pat Horgan. The injured Brian Hogan has been replaced by James Ryall.
Arguably the greatest hurler of all-time Henry Shefflin plays a great ball into Eddie Brennan who blasts the sliotar in the back of the net. It was coming. Kilkenny have been going for goal.
Goal Kilkenny
Cathal Naughton and Niall McCarthy hit two quick wides for Cork, before the rebels win a free from just in front of the posts. Ben O’Connor taps over.
Ben O’Connor taps over a free to reduce the deficit to one. Manchester United are leading in the Charity Shield, by the way. Valencia was the scorer.
Patrick Horgan took a shot from a difficult position which went wide. Cork are living off scraps. At the other end, TJ Reid played the ball to Richie Power. The Carrickshock man took a shot at goal, only for Donal Og Cusack to make a great save.
Shefflin makes amends for his earlier miss with a beauty of a point from the corner. Eddie Brennan hits another wide for Kilkenny, though, who are completely controlling the game and should be way ahead.
Cha Fitzpatrick puts the ball left and wide. Brian Hogan is punished for a throw in midfield and John Gardiner hits his 80 yard free wide. Shefflin then puts a shot from 60 yards wide and to the right. Shooting surprisingly wayward so far, considering the quality of hurlers on the pitch.
The ball is thrown in and within six seconds Aidan Fogarthy scores a point for Kilkenny. Then there is a kuffufle involving several players which results in Aisake and Noel Hickey getting booked.
All three panellists in the RTE studio have gone for Kilkenny the match. Michael Duignan makes the point that Cork need goals to have any chance. I have a sneaking suspicion that Cork might do it. Kilkenny are the better team by some stretch but they have to lose some-time. Cork are ridiculous odds at 11/2, run to your bookies.
Charlie Carter in his column in The Title pullout with The Irish Mail on Sunday has written that he was offended by Donal Og Cusack’s comparing of Kilkenny hurlers to the Stepford wives in Cusack’s autobiography Come What May, released in October 2009. He was especially offended by “the reference to Henry Shefflin as a player who’d look you in the eye and fillet you with a knife.” He believes that the Kilkenny players aren’t happy and that “Cusack might as well have a bullseye on him.”
Bishopstown Shane O’Neill is out for Cork, and has been replaced by Erin’s Own Shane Murphy. Michael Cussin is also out, and will be replaced by fellow Sarsfields man Cian McCarthy. Kilkenny centre-back Brian Hogan, no relation, was a doubt for today’s game but he starts.
Updated Cork team: Donal Og Cusack; Shane Murphy, Eoin Cadogan, Brian Murphy; John Gardiner, Ronan Curran, Seán Óg Ó hAilpÃn; Tom Kenny, Cathal Naughton; Cian McCarthy, Kieran Murphy, Niall McCarthy; Pat Horgan, Aisake Ó hAilpÃn, Ben O’Connor
I’ll also be keeping a little eye on the Charity Shield today, and I’ll update you whenever there is goal.
Chelsea
40 Henrique Hilario, 2 Branislav Ivanovic, 26 John Terry (c), 19 Paulo Ferreira, 3 Ashley Cole, 5 Michael Essien, 8 Frank Lampard, 12 Jon Obi Mikel, 21 Salomon Kalou, 39 Nicolas Anelka, 15 Florent Malouda
Substitutes 22 Ross Turnbull, 10 Yossi Benayoun, 11 Didier Drogba, 18 Yury Zhirkov, 23 Daniel Sturridge, 38 Patrick Van Aanholt, 43 Jeffrey Bruma
Manchester United
1 Edwin Van Der Sar, 22 John O’Shea, 20 Fabio Da Silva, 23 Jonny Evans, 15 Nemanja Vidic (c), 18 Paul Scholes, 16 Michael Carrick, 13 Ji-Sung Park, 25 Antonio Valencia, 10 Wayne Rooney, 7 Michael Owen
Substitutes 29 Tomasz Kuszczak, 24 Darren Fletcher, 12 Chris Smalling, 14 Javier Hernandez, 17 Nani, 9 Dimitar Berbatov
Referee Andre Marriner
To read JOE’s Conor Heneghan’s preview of today’s match click here. He reckons Kilkenny will win by less than six points.
Is it an omen? Kilkenny’s minor team have absolutely annihilated All-Ireland minor champions Galway in a score of 5-19 to 0-15. The Cats just keep on producing and producing them.
Teams:
Cork: Donal Og Cusack; Shane O’Neill, Eoin Cadogan, Brian Murphy; John Gardiner, Ronan Curran, Seán Óg Ó hAilpÃn; Tom Kenny, Cathal Naughton; Michael Cussen, Kieran Murphy, Niall McCarthy; Pat Horgan, Aisake Ó hAilpÃn, Ben O’Connor
Kilkenny: P.J. Ryan; John Dalton, Noel Hickey, Jackie Tyrrell; Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, J.J. Delaney; James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick, Michael Fennelly; T.J. Reid, Henry Shefflin, Eoin Larkin; Eddie Brennan, Richard Power, Aidan Fogarty
Odds:
Cork 11/2, Kilkenny 1/7, Draw 14/1
