The game
The game got off to a flying start as Kilkenny missed three early opportunities, including Eddie Brennan putting a great goal chance wide within seconds of the throw in. Cork went ahead through a Joe Deane free from 20 metres. Cork had a couple of refereeing decisions in their favour to go with that and give them the slight advantage through the first ten minutes.
Henry Shefflin got Kilkenny back on track with a point from out on the left and Cha Fitzpatrick followed up soon after with another well taken score as Cork's short puck out strategy misfired. Joe Deane was again reliable from the placed ball at short range, pointing after a James Ryall foul. Deane was also dangerous in open play with the crossbar denying him a goal, while Ben O'Connor's smashed the follow-up into the side netting. Kilkenny got the next score with Martin Comerford putting Kilkenny back into the lead and went further ahead after Shefflin pointed a free.
Cork's Brian Murphy received attention with double vision brought on by migraine, which forced him out of the game. Kilkenny got back on top after that stoppage with a Martin Comerford point. Another Deane free ended a nine-minute scoreless sequence for Cork. An exchange of wides followed as Kilkenny continued to foul at around fifty metres from their goal. Ben O'Connor got his first point as a result of one foul. Brian Corcoran got Cork's first score from play to put them within a point. Shefflin pointed the next long free for Kilkenny, replacing D. J. Carey who had been wayward. Jerry O'Connor replied for Cork.
Cork had a great start after the interval and Niall McCarthy refused what looked a good goal chance within seconds of the restart, taking a simple point instead. An exchange of points followed. Niall McCarthy's purple patch continued as he scored the point of the game from a puck out, fielding well before turning, running and striking to score. Kieran Murphy made up for a missed Ben O'Connor free by pointing a simple chance. Niall McCarthy put Cork two in front before Kieran Murphy won another free 45 metres out with Ben O'Connor taking the chance this time.
Kilkenny's response was immediate. Shefflin showed terrific skill to get a shot on target on the volley from Carey's hand pass but his effort was saved by Donal Óg Cusack in the Cork goal and from his clearance James Ryall fouled Deane on the forty, yielding another free chance. Deane pointed the free to put Cork in a commanding position. Subsequent frees from Ben O'Connor and Deane as well as a Tom Kenny point put Cork well clear. Cork conceded a '65 to Kilkenny which they defended successfully before Brian Corcoran putt the final nail in Kilkenny's coffin, grabbing a fine point from a tight angle just before the final whistle.
Cork's All-Ireland victory was their first since 1999. The win gave them their 29th All-Ireland title over all and put them as outright leaders on the all-time roll of honour.
The 1999 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 113th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The draw for the fixtures took place on 15 November 1998. The championship began on 22 May 1999 and ended on 12 September 1999.
Henry Shefflin is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the current manager of the Galway senior hurling team. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because of his directive style, dominance, competitive spirit, and leadership on the field. He is the only player to win 'hurler of the year' three times, in 2002, 2006, and 2012. Cian Lynch is the only other player to win the title more than once, winning it in 2018 and 2021. He is widely regarded as the best player in the history of the game. A versatile forward who started out in the corner, Shefflin made his name in more commanding positions as a centre or full-forward. He is widely regarded to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all time.
Timmy McCarthy is an Irish retired hurler who played for East Cork club Castlelyons. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 12 seasons, during which time he usually lined out as a right wing-forward.
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The 2009 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was a hurling match played on 6 September 2009 in Croke Park, Dublin, between Kilkenny and Tipperary. It was the first time the two teams had met in the All-Ireland final since 1991. Kilkenny's win was their fourth in a row, an accomplishment last matched by Cork between 1941 and 1944.
The 1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 85th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1972 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin on 3 September 1972. The match was contested by 1970 winners Cork and 1971 runners-up Kilkenny, and it was refereed by Mick Spain from Offaly.
The 1999 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 112th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1999 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 12 September 1999, between Cork and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 0-13 to 0-12. Cork had trailed by a point at half time, 0-05 to 0-04, after playing the better hurling. Then Kilkenny pulled into a four-point lead in the second half, they were 0-11 to 0-08 ahead before Cork scored five unanswered points with Kilkenny only managing one more point from a Henry Shefflin free. Cork, captained by Mark Landers and managed by Jimmy Barry-Murphy held out to win their first All Ireland title since 1990.
The 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 91st All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 3 September 1978, between Cork and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 1-15 to 2-8.
The 1966 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 79th All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1966 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 4 September 1966, between Cork and Kilkenny. The Leinster champions lost to their Munster opponents on a score line of 3–9 to 1-10.
The 1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final was the 82nd All-Ireland Final and the culmination of the 1969 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, an inter-county hurling tournament for the top teams in Ireland. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin on 7 September 1969. The match was contested by 1966 winners Cork and 1967 winners Kilkenny, and it was refereed by Seán O'Connor from Limerick.
The 2010 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 114th staging of Ireland's premier hurling competition since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. A total of thirteen teams competed in the championship, with Tipperary unseating the four-time defending champions Kilkenny by 4-17 to 1-18 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin. The championship began on 22 May 2010 and concluded on 5 September 2010.
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The 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the deciding game of the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played on 9 September 2012 at Croke Park, Dublin. The final was contested by first-time Leinster Champions Galway and Kilkenny, the defeated Leinster finalists and defending All-Ireland champions.
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The Antrim-Cork rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish county teams Antrim and Cork, who first played each other in 1906. The fixture has been an irregular one due to both teams playing in separate provinces. Antrim's home ground is Casement Park and Cork's home ground is Páirc Uí Chaoimh, however, all of their championship meetings have been held at a neutral venue, usually Croke Park.
The Clare-Kilkenny rivalry is a hurling rivalry between Irish county teams Clare and Kilkenny, who first played each other in 1932. The fixture has been an irregular one due to both teams playing in separate provinces. Kilkenny's home ground is Nowlan Park and Clare's home ground is Cusack Park, however, all of their championship meetings have been held at neutral venues, usually Croke Park.
The 2014 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the deciding game of the 2014 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played on 7 September 2014 at Croke Park, Dublin. The final ended - for the third year in a row - in a draw. The replay was held on 27 September 2014.
