Munster Club IHC Semi Final: Watergrasshill (Cork) 2-20 Wolfe Tones 2-13
Wolfe Tones saw their season come to an end at Pairc ui Rinn as Cork champions Watergrasshill ran out deserving winners.
Aaron Cunningham’s dismissal midway through the second half, which also resulted in the overturning of a penalty he had won, was a pivotal moment in the game, with Wolfe Tones trailing by four points at that juncture of the contest.
They had gotten the game off to a flier with a brilliant goal from Cunningham inside the opening 14 seconds, but the Cork side grew into the game to lead by 1-5 to 1-3 after 15 minutes.
That gap would double before the half time whistle, with Wolfe Tones struggling on their own restarts in particular in the opening half, while 11 wides for their opponents was equally a cause for concern.
It was a blistering third quarter for the Shannon men who fired the first three scores of the new half and they trailed by just four points when Cunningham was fouled after a direct run at goals. Unfortunately for Wolfe Tones, the off the ball incident that followed resulted in a straight red card for the 2013 All Ireland winner, along with one of the Watergrasshill defenders, but also crucially the cancellation of the penalty.
It was a moment that seemed to spark the Cork men back into life and when their second goal arrived, they led by 2-17 to 1-12 with 53 minutes on the clock.
Dean Devanny did find the net late on for a consolation goal, but it made little difference as the Cork champions recorded a merited win.
