Rebels Go Clear Late, To Defeat All-Ireland Champions Tipperary.

In front of a record Páirc Uí Chaoimh crowd, Cork Rebels go clear late, to overcome All-Ireland Champions Tipperary.

Cork 0-29 – Tipperary 0-22.

Cork made it three wins from three in Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League after finishing strongly to defeat Tipperary by seven points on Saturday night at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in front of a record regular-season crowd of 30,910.

Leading 0-16 to 0-12 at half-time, Cork’s advantage was never reduced below three points in the second half, despite a late Tipperary surge that briefly cut the gap and added real tension to the closing minutes.

The opening period was marked by an incident-packed spell either side of the 35th minute stage, when a prolonged melee resulted in straight red cards for Shane Barrett and Jason Forde, following earlier yellow cards for Alan Connolly and Willie Connors. Referee Liam Gordon brought the half to an end immediately after issuing the dismissals, with both sides playing the second half with 14 men.

Cork had threatened to put daylight between the sides in the first half when they won a penalty after a black card for Johnny Ryan, but Declan Dalton was denied from the spot by Rhys Shelly.

Key scores came from Alan Connolly (0-8) and Darragh Fitzgibbon (0-7), as Cork closed out the game with a late burst to seal a seven-point win and maintain their perfect start to the campaign.

After the match, Cork boss Ben O’Connor defended the officials on the night while criticising the wider system around assessments, saying: “I’m not blaming Liam Gordon… I’m blaming the GAA officials.”

Meanwhile, Fitzgibbon said the physical edge was simply part of top-level championship preparation: “You have to have a bit of fight and edge because if you don’t, you’re not going to win.”

Cork now sit on six points from three games and next travel to face Kilkenny after a break in the league schedule.

Scorers Cork: A Connolly 0-8 (4pts from f), D Fitzgibbon 0-7 (1 from 65), W Buckley 0-3, D Healy 0-3, E Downey 0-2, M Coleman 0-2, S Barrett 0-2, B Hayes 0-1, T O’Mahony 0-1.

Scorers Tipperary: E Connolly 0-4 (3 from f, +1 from 65), J Morris 0-3 (1 from f), J Forde 0-2 (2 from f), D McCarthy 0-2 (2 from f), W Connors 0-2, A Ormond 0-2, plus 0-1 pt each from C O’Reilly, C Morgan, S Kennedy, C Stakelum, O O’Donoghue and S O’Farrell.