Kilkenny produced an excellent team performance to beat Cork by 2-27 to 3-18 at Croke Park.

Victory sends the beaten Leinster finalists through to a semi-final meeting with holders Limerick on Saturday week, while Cork’s season is over, despite a magical display today from hat-trick hero Patrick Horgan (3-10).

In contrast, the winners benefited from a more rounded team effort, no fewer than twelve of their players getting on the scoresheet (as opposed to five Cork men), including a match-winning 1-8 salvo in the third quarter as they bounced back impressively from their provincial final loss to Wexford.

A brace of Horgan goals ensured the Rebels of a narrow 2-10 to 1-11 interval advantage. The sides were level after 22 minutes, 1-6 apiece, and Alan Cadogan pushed the Leesiders ahead from a tight angle but TJ Reid’s free tied the scores up again, Horgan and John Donnelly exchanging points.

Horgan was then on hand to despatch his second three-pointer of the match on 27 minutes, a wonderful improvised finish whilst down on his knees after Richie Hogan had given the Cats the lead – 2-8 to 1-9 and Horgan having registered all but three points of the Rebels’ tally up to that point.

Reid halved the deficit from a free and Conor Fogarty’s point had the sides level for the fifth time, points from Horgan and Cadogan enough to give the Munster county a slight edge at the turnaround.

Horgan’s first goal accrued from a third-minute penalty emphatically drilled to the left corner of the net at the Davin End following a foul on Seamus Harnedy, the inimitable Glen Rovers clubman having opened the scoring after only ten seconds. Donnelly and Hogan slotted the Black & Amber’s first two points, goalkeeper Eoin Murphy executing an excellent save to deny Cadogan in between.

A purple patch for the Noresiders saw them power three points clear after eleven minutes, Reid pointing a brilliant free from the centre of the pitch and Colin Fennelly finishing to the net in the ninth minute before Reid’s free made it 1-4 to 1-1 … 1-4 without reply for the Cats.

Horgan (free) and Fogarty swapped points Harnedy, Horgan (2, one of them an absolute peach from play) and Mark Coleman banging over four unanswered points for the Rebels as they battled back into the lead, the reply coming from Conor Browne.

Hogan’s goal gave Kilkenny the best-possible start to the second half and a quartet of Reid frees followed by points from Adrian Mullen, Richie Leahy, Murphy (free), Reid’s eighth (free) and substitute Walter Walsh had  eight between the sides with 52 minutes played.

Harnedy eventually landed Cork’s first score in 16 minutes, followed by a Cadogan point and Horgan’s third goal on 55 minutes, the Cork full forward plucking the sliothar from the air and beating three men to complete his hat-trick.

Cadogan’s next point was cancelled out by Reid (free) and Fennelly pushed the gap back out to four, Walsh’s second cancelling out Horgan’s next free as the gap remained at four with seven minutes left. A brace of Horgan frees brought the Rebels within two again with three minutes left and it was a tense finale as Darragh Fitzgibbon replied to a Kilkenny point from substitute Billy Ryan.

With the game very much in the melting pot, the Cats seized the initiative, lofting over three quickfire points from Walsh, Ryan and Bill Sheehan to lead by five in injury time. Reid’s free made it a six-point affair and a couple of late Horgan goal efforts from close-range frees were saved as John Meyler’s men exited the 2019 championship and the wonderful Cats progressed to the last four.

Kilkenny - E Murphy (0-1f); P Murphy, H Lawlor, J Holden; P Deegan, P Walsh, C Buckley; C Browne (0-1), C Fogarty (0-2); J Donnelly (0-2), TJ Reid (0-10f), R Leahy (0-1); A Mullen (0-1), C Fennelly (1-1), R Hogan (1-2). Subs: W Walsh (0-3) for C Buckley, B Sheehan (0-1) for R Hogan, J Maher for C Browne, B Ryan (0-2) for J Donnelly.

Cork - A Nash; S O'Donoghue, E Cadogan, N O'Leary; M Ellis, S McDonnell, M Coleman (0-1); B Cooper, D Fitzgibbon (0-1); D Kearney, C Lehane, L Meade; A Cadogan (0-4), P Horgan (3-10, 1-0pen, 0-8f), S Harnedy (0-2). Subs: R O'Flynn for C Lehane, S Kingston for D Kearney, T O'Mahony for B Cooper, D Cahalane for S O'Donoghue, C Joyce for L Meade.

Referee - J Owens.

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