What a day for Cork, what a day for Patrick Horgan.
It was a red-letter day in Semple Stadium for the Rebels as they completed the Munster minor and senior Championship double.
It was an even more special day for Patrick Horgan, as he surpassed the legendary Christy Ring to become Cork’s all-time top Championship scorer.
The Glen Rovers club man has now amassed 12-268 for his county, which puts him ahead of Ring’s 33-205.
The 29-year-old made his debut for Cork in 2008 and his 0-13 tally on Sunday has earned him a status as one of the greats of Cork hurling.
He is the now fifth highest scorer in Championship history, and he has plenty of time to catch the rest of them.
Few would’ve tipped Cork to emerge victorious from the Munster Championship at the start of the year, but Kieran Kingston’s men steadily progressed in the League, and their Championship form has been nothing short of phenomenal.
The Rebels have struggled to live up to the high expectations of their faithful following in recent years, but an injection of youthful exuberance has encouraged a revival of unprecedented proportion in 2017.
WATCH:
HT: Clare 0-08 Cork 1-10. Alan Cadogan leading the way for @OfficialCorkGAA. The Rebels lead the #MunsterFinal by 5. #GAAClips pic.twitter.com/xaW76n5oED— eir Sport (@eirSport) July 9, 2017
The Rebels are now a force to be seriously reckoned with, because their steely and clever defence, allied with their explosive attack will take some stopping.
Mark Coleman dominated the left side of the field from half-back, while fellow youngsters Darragh Fitzgibbon, Luke Meade and Shane Kingston were a constant thorn in Clare’s side and lead them to a five-point triumph over the Banner, on a scoreline of 1-25 to 1-20.
Most of the plaudits will have to go to their dynamic attacking duo of Alan Cadogan and Patrick Horgan.
Cadogan was at his terrorising best, with his direct running style and his evidently improved finishing.
Feck Health & Safety. Some result for Cork. Pitch invasion well deserved. pic.twitter.com/uWQvmWBkTm
— Pat Quirke (@patquirke) July 9, 2017
He finished his day with a creditable 1-4 from play.
Clare will be disappointed to lose yet another Munster Championship game, to follow the trend of their form in this competition for the last few years.
Sunday belonged to Cork, it belonged to Patrick Horgan.
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