Limerick booked their slot alongside Clare in the Munster senior hurling championship final after edging past Cork with a 3-25 to 1-30 victory at the TUS Gaelic Grounds.
Played in glorious summer conditions, the sides served up a cracking championship encounter which was ultimately decided by six points in-a-row down the home stretch from the All-Ireland champions as they showed Pat Ryan's men the exit door.
Scores from Darragh Fitzgibbon (2) and Seamus Harnedy saw Cork moving into a 0-11 to 0-7 lead after 17 minutes but the hosts soon were level via a Seamus Flanagan goal and netted again through Cathal O’Neill.
Horgan nailed a pair of frees at the other end to leave it all square at the break (2-12 to 0-18) but the Treaty men would find the net again eight minutes into the restart thanks to an Diarmaid Byrnes penalty.
The Cork defence is torn to pieces as Cathal O'Neill gets through to find the net. Limerick lead, Cork had been on top. The best thing is we have another half to come.
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 28, 2023
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Shane Kingston, Horgan and Harnedy all sailed over scores and, while Limerick threatened to pull away by going seven points up, a Horgan goal with 10 minutes to go seemingly arrived at the perfect time for the Rebels.
The Glen Rovers ace would add two more frees to narrow his team’s deficit down to one, but John Kiely’s men still managed to steady the ship by pushing the lead out to two again and winning out by one in the end to seal their final date with Clare on June 11th
In Thurles, Waterford finished their Munster championship campaign on a positive note by handing host Tipperary a 1-24 to 0-21 defeat.
Davy Fitzgerald’s men were fired-up from the start and blew the hosts away during opening half, which saw them building up a 0-17 to 0-8 lead by the break.
Dessie Hutchinson’s 52nd minute goal all but sealed the win for the already eliminated visitors, ensuring that Tipp missed out on a provincial final berth as they now focus on an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final.
TweetThe #MunsterSHC Table after Round 5
— GAA League Tables (@GAALeagueTables) May 28, 2023
Tipperary 0-21 v 1-24 Waterford
Limerick 3-25 v 1-30 Cork
Limerick join Clare in the Munster SHC Final.
Tipperary will enter the AI SHC at the PQF stage.
There is no relegation from the Munster SHC.#gaa #hurling #gaaleaguetables pic.twitter.com/lefKaHflTJ