Limerick regained the Munster Senior Hurling Championship as they edged Cork 1-21 to 2-17 in a thriller at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
One year on from losing out on penalties to the Rebels at the Gaelic Grounds, this time is was John Kiely’s side’s turn in a typically engrossing encounter between these rivals.
Peter Casey scored what proved to be the winner in stoppage tine, but Cork were not happy with referee James Owens who had given the Rebels a free inside their own 65 deep in added time, but when goalkeeper Patrick Collins worked it short to engineer an equalising shot, the whistle sounded.
In fairness, injury time had ticked long past the allotted five minutes as the Shannonsiders celebrated a 26th title as they got their hands back on the Mick Mackey Cup as they timed their run to the line perfectly.
The early exchanges were as fierce as expected with the sides twice swapping scores, but Cork would win an eight-minute penalty when Kyle Hayes took out namesake Brian under a dropping ball and Mark Coleman drilled low past Nickie Quaid.
Tim O’Mahony added a couple of points from paced balls before Limerick summoned a response as Aidan O’Connor put a couple of misses behind him for his second point of the game and then Gearoid Hegarty got up to fetch a dropping ball and fire past Patrick Collins.
William Buckly and Cian Lynch swapped points, but Cork began to get into a flow with six of the next seven points to open a healthy gap by the 30th minute and it could have been even better but for Quaid’s quite stunning save from Diarmuid Healy’s piledriver.
Limerick would enjoy a good run to the break with the final four points as Cork’s advantage had been narrowed to 1-11 to 1-9.
Treaty finish strong to edge home
That momentum was carrying into the second period when substitute Tom Morrissey clipped over but after Alan Connolly replied from a free, Cork grabbed a second goal as Brian Hayes initially seemed to have taken a little too much out of it, but despite being on the ground, found a gap to bat home.
Limerick hit back with the next three scores including a second for Morrisssey who seemed to have a sight of goal, but Cork were managing the game to an extent as the sides swapped points three times from placed balls.
Quaid would make another stunning save, this time from Coleman,while at the other end, Casey picked the pocked of Collins but his shot at goal was scrambled away.
A Connolly free gave Cork a two-point lead with five to play when Collins then made a point-blank stop from Gearoid Hegarty but Diarmaid Byrnes steered over the resulting 65.
Hegarty would tie it up before a stunning strike from Casey gave Limerick the lead for the first time since the second minute as the game ran into injury time and while Connolly tied it, Casey popped up with his third and most important score of the day which proved the winner.
There was still time for Cork to save themselves, but couldn’t engineer an opportunity with the clock ultimately running out.
Limerick will now move into an All-Ireland semi-final on 5 July, while Cork have a quarter-final to plan for against Offaly on the weekend of 20/21 June.
