Killkenny brushed off any remaining preseason cobwebs by defeating Cork 0-21 to 1-17 at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh under the lights on a night that saw Eoin Cody and Adrian Mullen combine to score 0-12 in Division 1A of the Allianz Hurling League.
If Derek Lyng wanted a statement after last week's dramatic draw with Wexford at Nowlan Park, this was it as the Black Cats got the better of the Rebels aside in their own stadium.
It wasn’t just the fixture with the Yellow Bellies that hung over Kilkenny, but a lethargic showing in the Walsh Cup during January.
A full strength team sent out by Lyng tore the Rebels apart and stormed into an eight point lead with just 19 minutes played.
Cody contributed four white flags to that haul, with just two coming from frees. His work was complimented by the aim of Cian Kenny, Michael Carey, and Mullen.
The Rebels struggled, almost all over the park, with their midfield getting over run and nothing being created for a forward line consisting of Patrick Horgan, Shane Kingston, and Robbie O’Flynn.
Then Cork went on a run, and it started with scores from Conor Lehane and Tommy O’Connell. It finished with a hand pass from Sean Twomey finding Conor O’Callaghan and he slotted the sliotar underneath Eoin Murphy.
An eight point cushion shrunk to three with the green flag and Cork completed the turnaround with O’Flynn, Horgan, and Lehane finding the target in the second half.
The Rebels were resurgent, but they were only able to take the lead once, and Lehane put that over from open play.
It was coming as Kilkenny were starting to leave space in the final third and the Cork were creating goal chances. The best fell to Horgan, and the Glen Rovers stalwart stabbed the ball wide at the City End.
This was when Kilkenny truly turned it on and made sure they got the win. Ryng turned to the likes of Billy Drennan, Walter Walsh, and Martin Keoghan, with the trio coming on at various stages during the second half.
Experience helped see them through the remaining minutes in a bubbling caldron.
Even when the Cork supporters – who saw their team come back from eight points down and beat Limerick in the league this time last year – were in full voice and watching a tennis match, they remained cool and steadied the ship.
It came down to John Donnelly, with a point at the 70th minute being the winner. The Rebels did have chances during the four additional minutes played, they just couldn’t break through the yellow and black wall.
Discipline, composure, and experience got Kilkenny the win and officially kickstarted the year for Ryng and his players.
Cork: Patrick Collins; Eoin Downey, Eoin Roche, Sean O'Donoghue, Tim O'Mahony (0-1), Niall O'Leary, Robert Downey, Tommy O'Connell (0-1), Conor O'Callaghan (1-0), Luke Meade, Conor Lehane (0-3), Sean Twomey, Robbie O'Flynn (0-1), Patrick Horgan (0-10, 10f), Shane Kingston.
Subs: Ger Mellerick for Downey (21); Brian Roche for Meade (HT), Ethan Twomey for O’Callaghan (42), Shane Barrett (0-1) for O’Flynn (43), Mark Coleman for Eoin Downey (48),
Kilkenny: Eoin Murphy; Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor, Tommy Walsh, David Blanchfield, Darragh Corcoran, Shane Murphy (0-1), Cian Kenny (0-1), Michael Carey (0-1), Conor Heary, John Donnelly (0-2), Adrian Mullen (0-5), Billy Ryan, Luke Hogan, Eoin Cody (0-7, 5f).
Subs: Martin Keoghan for Ryan (HT); Billy Drennan (0-3, 2f) for Hogan (45), Kevin Blanchfield for Carey (52), Walter Walsh for Heary (55), Peter McDonald for Kenny (63),
Referee: Johnny Murphy
