Cork v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 3.30pm
Cork v Waterford, Semple Stadium, 3.30pm
Sunday, June 8
Munster GAA Hurling Championship Quarter-Final ReplayCork v Waterford, Semple Stadium, Thurles, 3.30pm (RTE.ie)(Extra-time will be played if necessary)
So, two weeks on after they kicked the Munster Championship off in fine style with an exciting draw in Thurles, the received wisdom is that an inexperienced Waterford side blew their big chance the first day out and the replay is Cork's for the taking.
The psychologists would probably agree with that assessment, but then again there weren't too many sticking their necks out for Waterford before they very nearly caused the first big upset of the Championship season. Na Déise may or may not find some comfort in the fact that the last time the sides drew in the Munster Championship, back in the 2010 final, Waterford went on to win the replay by 1-16 to 1-13.
Waterford were nine points up at one stage in the second half two weeks ago, having played at a pace and tempo that a subdued Cork simply could not live with. Bolstered by some hugely talented graduates of recent underage sides - none more so than 19-year-old debutant Austin Gleeson, who scored a superb goal to land Cork in real trouble - Derek McGrath's side belied their status as underdogs, and the fact that their Allianz League campaign had ended in relegation, and had last year's beaten All-Ireland finalists under their thumb for three-quarters of the game.
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Ultimately, they couldn't maintain the breakneck pace they brought to the game into the final quarter and, following a scrambled Bill Cooper goal, Cork set about reeling their opponents in with a succession of scores, although they did require a late free from top scorer Patrick Horgan to earn a reprieve.
Given they had 11 of the team that lined out in the All-Ireland final replay against Clare last September on show again, Cork's failure to perform - and their plain lethargy at times - was hard to explain. Perhaps it was down to the fact that they played in the second tier of the Allianz League this spring and their only real championship-pace game was a League quarter-final defeat to Tipperary, or perhaps it was the new players - dual men Alan Cadogan, Damien Cahalane and Aidan Walsh - manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy shoe-horned into the team.
Given Cadogan performed so outstandingly, scoring four sweet points on his debut, and Walsh was all business - even if the touch and finesse required at the top level is still a little off - in midfield, the latter excuse doesn't real stand up to scrutiny. Most likely, it was down to the fact that a much-vaunted Cork attack - with the obvious exception of the sublime Cadogan - failed to fire. The forward quartet of Pa Cronin, Cian McCarthy, Conor Lehane (0-1) and Séamus Harnedy (0-1) hit just two points between them, while half-time sub Cooper hit 1-1 after his introduction.
Either way, Cork looked a shadow of the side that swept to the All-Ireland final last year.
"We have been playing this way right through the league. We haven't got that spark back which I felt we had last year," Barry-Murphy said after the game.
"It was like our league games where we didn't seem to be up to the pace of the game, like the Tipperary game here in Thurles. We were off the pace of the game today and we conceded a lot of scores and there was some very silly play on our behalf."
Ultimately, however, Cork came good when it mattered, but the post-mortem on Leeside was unforgiving and the main conclusion drawn was that they can only fare better on Sunday.
McGrath will be looking for more of the same from his charges, of whom so little was expected in the build-up to the drawn game. After a poor league campaign, and hobbled by a crippling injury list, they outstripped the expectations of even their most optimistic supporters with a performance of heart-warming vitality and youthful exuberance.
McGrath has made two changes in personnel from the drawn game, bringing Shane Fives back into his defence at wing-back in place of Barry Coughlan. The return of Shane O'Sullivan, who was suspended a fortnight ago, to their midfield, where they have been particularly badly hit by injuries, is a huge boost. The Ballygunner man comes in as a direct replacement for Eddie Barrett, who picked up a serious knee injury the last day. Tadhg de Búrca, Colin Dunford and Gleeson, all championship debutants last time out, retain their places.
Other than long-term absentee Luke O'Farrell, Barry-Murphy had a full squad to choose from and has made just one change in personnel for the game. Unsurprisingly, it comes in attack, where Youghal man Cooper is given his big chance to shine, handed a first championship start at centre-forward, where he replaces Cian McCarthy. Eoin Cadogan returns to the squad after missing the first game through injury.
The prize for the winners is a Munster semi-final meeting with Clare a week later, June 15.
WATERFORD: S O'Keeffe; T de Burca, L Lawlor, N Connors; J Nagle, M Walsh, S Fives; S O'Sullivan, K Moran; C Dunford, J Dillon, P Mahony; S Walsh, B O'Sullivan, A Gleeson.
CORK: Anthony Nash; Shane O'Neill, Damien Cahalane, Stephen McDonnell; Christopher Joyce, Mark Ellis, Lorcán McLoughlin; Daniel Kearney, Aidan Walsh; Conor Lehane, Bill Cooper, Patrick Cronin; Alan Cadogan, Séamus Harnedy, Patrick Horgan.
Preview: Brian Murphy
