Official Sponsor
May’s Rebels’ Bounty Draw will be broadcast on Thursday, June 1st. The prize pool totals €34,200, with the top prize of €20,000. There will be 30 winners in total, with prizes ranging from €3,000 to €150 for those who placed 2nd to 30th.
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
Limerick 3-25 Cork 1-30
By gaa.ie at TUS Gaelic Grounds
Limerick’s quest for five Munster titles stayed on course, thanks to a frenetic victory over Cork at the TUS Gaelic Grounds. With it, the keep the quest for four All-Irelands in succession on track. The visitors exit the championship, after losing twice by just a single point in the space of a week.
As a result of their heavy loss to Waterford, Tipperary will now face Joe McDonagh Cup runners-up, Offaly, in the preliminary quarter final. Limerick maintain their hunt for five provincial titles on the bounce, setting up a repeat of last season’s final clash with Clare.
It was a contest that had all the hallmarks of the Munster Championship to date, with top class scoring taking, goalmouth drama and no shortage of heart stopping moments for both sets of supports.
With more than 40,000 packed into the Ennis Road venue, both players played a lofty pace to match the scorching May sun.
Cork opened an early 0-3 to 0-1 lead, with Patrick Horgan and Declan Dalton both notching frees, while Tim O’Mahony was also on target.
Despite Seamus Flanagan putting Limerick 0-7 to 0-5 ahead by the 14th minute, Cork would score the next six points. With Patrick Horgan, Declan Dalton, Luke Meade and a lovely Darragh Fitzgibbon point all helping Pat Ryans side four clear.
The first goal, on 22 minutes arrived from a Kyle Hayes delivery to Aaron Gillane. The Patrickswell clubman passed to Flanagan, who buried to the net from close range.
A second Limerick goal, on 31 minutes came moments after Aaron Gillane kicked a loose ball off the post. Despite having possession, Cork failed to clear and a combination of Flanagan and Will O’Donoghue turned over the ball – the latter handpassing to the rampaging Cathal O’Neill, who finished beyond Patrick Collins.
Two more Gillane points, both frees, followed but these sides were level at half-time, 2-12 to 0-18. Seamus Harnedy and Horgan (two frees) notching the final three points of the half.
The second half turned on a Limerick penalty, awarded for a foul on Gillane under a dropping ball. His clubmate, Diarmaid Byrnes rifled the ball to the net and it appeared the home side wouldn’t look back. But a succession of wides, as well as points from Shane Kingston, Harnedy and Horgan brough the Rebels to within one.
The next sea-change saw Limerick hit six unanswered, with Geraoid Hegarty, Kyle Hayes and Darragh O’Donovan all scoring from distance, Byrnes also landed a trademark long range effort.
But a 62nd minute Horgan goal gave Pat Ryan’s men life and they were chasing right until the last. Crucially, a Byrnes ‘65’ put Limerick two clear in stoppage time. Horgan had the final score but Limerick had the final roar – the full-time whistle, to put themselves back in the Munster decider next month.
Scorers for Limerick: Diarmaid Byrnes 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-1 ’65), Seamus Flanagan 1-3, Aaron Gillane 0-5 (0-2 frees), Cathal O’Neill 1-0, Gearoid Hegarty, Darragh O’Donovan 0-3 each, Tom Morrissey 0-2; Peter Casey, William O’Donoghue, Barry Nash, Declan Hannon, Barry Nash 0-1 each.
**
Scorers for Cork: Patrick Horgan 1-14 (0-11 frees), Darragh Fitzgibbon, Seamus Harnedy 0-4 each, Declan Dalton 0-3 (0-2 frees), Shane Kingston 0-2; Tim O’Mahony; Luke Meade, Rob Downey 0-1 each.
Limerick: Nicky Quaid; Mike Casey, Dan Morrissey, Barry Nash; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Kyle Hayes; Darragh O’Donovan, William O’Donoghue; Gearoid Hegarty, Cathal O’Neill, Tom Morrissey; Aaron Gillane, Seamus Flanagan, Peter Casey.
Subs: **Richie English for Hannon (54), David Reidy for O’Neill (57), Colin Coughlan for M. Casey (64), Graeme Mulcahy for P. Casey (65), Cian Lynch for O’Donovan (67).
Cork: *Patrick Collins; Niall O’Leary, Damien Cahalane, Sean O’Donoghue, Ger Millerick, Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey; Brian Roche, Luke Meade; Tim O’Mahony, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Declan Dalton; Shane Kingston, Patrick Horgan, Seamus Harnedy.
Subs: Brian Hayes for Roche (39), Conor Lehane for O’Mahony (54), Padraig Power for Kingston (58), Ethan Twomey for Meade (60), Shane Barrett for Dalton (65)
Referee: *James Owens (Wexford).
All-Ireland senior football championship, Group 1, Round 1
CORK 1-19 LOUTH 1-17
By gaa.ie at Pairc Tailteann
A couple of months after being suckered by a Louth comeback in the National League, Cork made sure there was no repeat and held on for a significant All-Ireland SFC, Group 1 win.
Recent Leinster finalists Louth came from five points down to beat Cork in Division 2 in March and wiped out a six-point advantage early in the second-half this time to lead by one approaching the hour mark.
Mickey Harte’s side couldn’t push on for a landmark win though as Cork closed out the game strongly from there, outscoring Louth by 0-6 to 0-3 in the vital final 15 minutes or so.
Brian Hurley, just back from injury, was terrific overall for Cork and scored 0-8 including two points during that late series of scores.
Substitutes Steven Sherlock, John O’Rourke and Conor Corbett also weighed in with crucial late scores as Cork moved joint top of the group alongside Mayo.
With three teams to qualify for the knock-out stage, it could prove a vital win for Cork who will host Kerry at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh next weekend. Louth, meanwhile, will attempt to score a famous win over Mayo in Castlebar next weekend.
Both sides were chasing redemption after punishing provincial defeats. Cork lost out to Clare by a point back on April 9 in Munster while Louth conceded 5-21 to Dublin in the Leinster final.
The two teams were much changed too with Louth making five alterations to the side that lined out against Dublin 13 days ago.
Defenders Dermot Campbell and Anthony Williams came into the team along with attacking trio Bevan Duffy, Paul Mathews and Craig Lennon.
Lennon opened the scoring for Louth and two more points from leading scorer Sam Mulroy and Conor Early nudged them 0-3 to 0-1 ahead.
But the two-point advantage gave a false impression of the opening quarter hour or so with Cork largely on top but unable to make it count in scoring terms.
It wasn’t until Killian O’Hanlon curled over a left-footed score in the 15th minute that Cork finally started to hit the target with regularity.
Hurley chipped over a free shortly after before the Rebels put together a sumptuous move for Brian O’Driscoll’s 18th minute goal.
Hurley forced a turnover on the right wing, beginning a sweeping move that ended with the influential Ruairi Deane playing in O’Driscoll to slam home from close range.
Hurley added two more points himself and finished the half with 0-4. It was a strong showing from a player who missed Cork’s previous three games with a shoulder injury.
The Castlehaven man returned to the lineup along with defenders Maurice Shanley and Sean Meehan and wing-forward Killian O’Hanlon.
But there was disappointment for Meehan who trudged off with a leg injury after 21 minutes.
Meehan had man-marked Louth dangerman full-forward Mulroy, despite wearing number six, and that job then went to Kevin O’Donovan who came on to replace him.
Louth picked off points from Mulroy and Peter Lynch to keep themselves just about in it but Cork weren’t flattered by their 1-8 to 0-7 half-time lead.
The challenge for Louth was to turn in a second-half performance like the one which saw them come from eight points down at the break to beat Westmeath in their Leinster quarter-final encounter at the same venue.
They almost pulled it off too with substitute Liam Jackson hitting a 46th minute goal that gave them real hope.
Jackson intervened when Cork tried a short kick-out to Daniel O’Mahony and Louth colleagues Ciaran Downey, Tommy Durnin, Dylan McKeown and Leonard Grey added further points to dramatically level the game up.
Mulroy then nudged Louth 1-14 to 1-13 ahead but they couldn’t push on from there as Cork dug deep for a badly needed win.
Cork scorers: Brian Hurley 0-8 (0-6f), Brian O’Driscoll 1-1, Colm O’Callaghan 0-2, Ian Maguire 0-2, Killian O’Hanlon 0-1, Chris Og Jones 0-1, Steven Sherlock 0-1, Sean Powter 0-1, John O’Rourke 0-1, Conor Corbett 0-1.
Louth scorers: Sam Mulroy 0-8 (0-4f), Liam Jackson 1-0, Ciaran Downey 0-2, Craig Lennon 0-1, Conor Early 0-1, Peter Lynch 0-1, Tommy Durnin 0-1, Dylan McKeown 0-1, Leonard Grey 0-1, Conor Grimes 0-1.
CORK: Micheal Aodh Martin; Maurice Shanley, Sean Meehan, Tommy Walsh; Luke Fahy, Daniel O’Mahony, Mattie Taylor; Colm O’Callaghan, Ian Maguire; Killian O’Hanlon, Ruairi Deane, Brian O’Driscoll; Sean Powter, Brian Hurley, Chris Og Jones.
Subs: Kevin O’Donovan for Meehan 21, Steven Sherlock for Powter 48-f/t blood, Cian Kiely for Walsh 49, Eoghan McSweeney for O’Hanlon 55, Conor Corbett for Jones 64, John O’Rourke for Hurley 73.
LOUTH: James Califf; Dermot Campbell, Peter Lynch, Donal McKenny; Anthony Williams, Niall Sharkey, Leonard Grey; Tommy Durnin, Conor Early; Conall McKeever, Ciaran Downey, Bevan Duffy; Paul Mathews, Sam Mulroy, Craig Lennon.
Subs: Daire McConnon for Mathews h/t, Dylan McKeown for Duffy h/t, Liam Jackson for Campbell 39, Conor Grimes for Lennon 43, Conall McCaul for McConnon 65.
Referee: Martin McNally (Monaghan).
The Cork Senior Football team to play Louth in the All Ireland Senior Football Championship Group 1 Round 1 has been announced
The Cork Senior Hurling team to play Limerick in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship Round 5 has been announced
