Cork ………………………………..4-19
Tipperary ………………………….2-25
A rip- roaring second half packed with spectacular goals saw Tipperary and Cork play out a thrilling draw by the Lee to keep both of their unbeaten runs in the Munster championship intact.
Tipperary will reflect on a game that saw the concession of sloppy goals cost them a victory which they looked on their way to achieve when substitute Mark Kehoe cooly slotted to the net with three minutes left.
Kehoe had accepted Dan McCormacks quick pass to run at goal and fire to the net and Tipp looked set for victory holding a three point lead with just three minutes left in normal time.
Patrick Horgan, with another free, pulled one back for Cork but the outstanding Seamus Kennedy pushed that lead out to three again with another quality score for Tipperary.
In the dying minutes Tipperary managed to somehow squander a winning position with the concession of yet another goal, a fourth for Cork on the night when Brian Hayes had the simple task of tapping to an empty net after Shane Kingston sent a clever ball across the face of the goal.
Cork were on level terms and back in the hunt as the game entered five minutes of additional time in a dramatic climax to a pulsating encounter.
Only on the field a few minutes, substitute Seamus Callanan found himself in a familiar position in front of goal with the net at his mercy for what would have been a glorious winner.
Cork goalie Patrick Collins ,however, rushed off his line and with a courageous dive managed to take the ball off Callanan’s hurley just as he was about to pull the trigger, to prevent a goal.
Callanan did pop over a point seconds later to edge Tipperary ahead in a frantic finish but Shane Kingston, who was one of Cork’s top performers on the night levelled matters in the third minute of time added on.
Both teams had a chance to take a winning point but both John McGrath, Tipp’s third freetaker on the night with Tipperary having lost both Jason Forde and Gearoid O’ Connor earlier in the game, and Cork’s Declan Dalton sent long range frees wide.
It ended all square as a result of those misses and left both teams with a point apiece after an absorbing Munster championship clash which ensured they both prepare for their next game with an unbeaten record in the championship.
Tipperary will be disappointed at not having secured maximum points from this encounter.
Twice they were in commanding positions in that second half, after goals from both Gearoid O’ Connor, an outstanding individual effort, and the goal from Kehoe with three minutes left,but on both occasions allowed Cork back into the game with the concession of goals from Darragh Fitzgibon and Brian Hayes.
The shipping of three goals against Clare and now four against Cork will cause Liam Cahill plenty of headaches and the softness of the Cork goals were all the more galling as they undone a lot of the good work Tipperary had put in on the night.
On the plus side however Tipperary will be happy to remain unbeaten after two high scoring clashes away from home at venues historically laced with jeopardy for Tipperary.
A Cork team brimming with confidence after their impressive display against Waterford started the much brighter team.
Tipperary got off to a nervy start as Cork attacked from the off and ran at the Tipperary defence with great intent.
Horgan and Forde swapped frees but after that it was all Cork as they went for goal with attack after attack opening up huge gaps in the Tipperary defence.
The blistering pace of the Cork forwards exposed Tipperary in the opening exchanges.Harnedy edged Cork in front with a point but the inevitable goal came as Declan Dalton batted to the Tipperary net after running directly at the Tipperary defence that afforded him a tackle free run.
That goal lifted the Cork crowd and their teams explosive start had the home stadium buzzing with anticipation.
Tipperary however recovered from the setback and started to hurl with more composure in defence and efficiency in attack.
An impressive seven minute spell yielded five points without reply for Tipperary as they drew level with Cork by the seventeenth minute.
Gearoid O’ Connor,who took over the free taking duties when Tipperary lost Jaspon Forde to a hamstring injury, put Tipperary in the lead for the first time in the game when he converted his first free.
Tipperary went on to score four more points in succession as Cork lost their way in front of their home supporters, with the impressive Seamus Kennedy chipping with a quality score as well as Alan Tynan, who was coming more and more into the game .
All that good work however was undone as Cork pounced for a goal against the run of play seconds into injury time.
Robbie O’ Flynn waltzed through the Tipperary defence in a similar fashion to Dalton at the outset for the opening Cork goal and Cork were back in the game after O’ Flynn struck to the net to pull Tipp back.
Tipperary now had just a point lead to show for all their efforts, a lead extended out to two points at the close of the first half when substitute Mark Kehoe fired over a point.
The Kilsheelan man played a big role after his introduction and could have ended up the matchwinner had Tipperary held on after his superbly taken goal minutes from time.
However Brian Hayes scored an opportunistic goal to ensure Cork ended on parity with their great Munster rivals on a wonderful evening for Munster championship hurling in Cork.
Tipperary: Barry Hogan, Cathal Barrett, Michael Breen,, Johnny Ryan,Ronan Maher , Bryan O’Mara, Seamus Kennedy,Alan Tynan, Noel McGrath , Dan McCormack,Gearoid O’ Connor,Conor Stakelum ,Jason Forde,Jake Morris,, Sean Ryan.
Scorers- J Forde 0-4 (3f), G O’Connor 1-3 (3f), A Tynan 0-4, S Kennedy 0-3, S Ryan 0-1, J Morris 0-3, M Kehoe 1-4, C Stakelum 0-1, N McGrath 0-1, S Callanan 0-1,
Substitutes: Mark Kehoe for Jason Forde,John McGrath for Geroid O Connor,Conor Bowe for Sean Ryan,Enda Heffernan for Conor Stakelum,Seamus Callanan for Conor Bowe.
Cork: Patrick Collins, Niall O’Leary, Damien Cahalane,Ger Millerick, Tommy O’Connell, Ciarán Joyce, Robert Downey, Brian Roche,Eoin Downey, Declan Dalton, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Shane Barrett,Robbie O’Flynn, Patrick Horgan ,Seamus Harnedy
Scorers- P Horgan 0-8 (5f, 2 65), S Harnedy 0-3, D Dalton 1-2 (2f), R O’Flynn 1-0, S Kingston 0-3, C Lehane 0-1, D Fitzgibbon 1-1, T O’Mahony 0-1, B Hayes 1-0
Substitutes Shane Kingston for Robbie O’ Flynn,Conor Lehane for Shane Barrett,Tim O’ Mahony for Eoin Downey, Luke Meade for Brian Roche,Brian Hayes for Seamus Harnedy.
