GAELIC GAMES:SOMETIME AFTER five o'clock in Thurles yesterday the outside world melted away. By now, Tipperary, the All-Ireland champions, had coughed up seven points in a row and Cork were doing their unstoppable Rebels thing, zinging points over Brendan Cummins' crossbar and playing with righteous anger and fearlessness.

Veterans of these Munster derbies shook their heads. Form and favouritism go out the window on these days. You must have it in the belly. A Cork team of veterans and new faces faced a choice here in Semple Stadium. They had shipped two heart-breaking goals in the first half from Tipperary’s supreme poachers, Messrs Kelly and Corbett.

A classy flick from the returned and rejuvenated Séamus Callanan just after half-time left the visitors trailing by 2-12 to 0-10 and the old place fell into a lull. What should have happened next was clear: a young team faced an uphill struggle and, perhaps, a lesson from the champions out to make a statement. A mauling beckoned.

Instead, Cork responded with controlled fury and forced a match that delivered a blizzard of quality scores and full-hearted hitting. It finished 3-22 to 0-23: a shoot-out.

“We were nothing coming into today’s game in a lot of people’s eyes,” Denis Walsh, the Cork boss said. “We found that embarrassing really, that we were considered nothing at all – maybe down in seventh place and that. We needed to perform. We didn’t need to go blaming anybody. We needed to show what we can do. And I like to think we did that. And we still lost by seven points.”

They did, but only after coughing up a sucker goal to Benny Dunne and a few endgame flourishes from Callanan and James Woodlock. In truth, they demanded a champions’ performance from Tipperary.

When Cork study the arithmetic of this Munster derby, they can account for the gap in the final score in two wonderful sideline cuts struck by Noel McGrath and five deceptively casual points from play by Callanan, and they can look at the early goal chances they failed to take.

They can look with satisfaction at the 0-13 Pat Horgan accumulated and the familiar strut and energy that distinguished Ben O’Connor’s play, and the way younger players like Luke Farrell and William Egan responded to Cork’s second-half rush.

“I never played a Cork team that don’t get a run on you,” Lar Corbett remarked in the tunnel, stitches embroidered on his nose and sweat still on his brow.

“It looked that Cork were going to take it on the day. But fair play to our boys, they stood up one by one. Right down to Bonnar Maher – if the rest of the Tipp players, including myself, could learn from him, the way he works so hard, it would be a better place to be.”

Lar. There was a heavyweight presence about Corbett yesterday and it was no coincidence he delivered the 57th-minute point that broke Cork’s streak and restored order to the stadium in general.

Tipperary have acquired the poise and composure of All-Ireland winners since they met Cork a year ago and it told in those minutes after Cork had come storming back to life.

It was there in the opportunism of Dunne’s goal, who coolly exploited a rare slip from Eoin Cadogan, who had thrown body and soul at Tipp’s attacks all afternoon. And it was there in the cool, precise ball Pa Bourke played across to the drifting Callanan when Tipperary were putting their seal on the match and Cork were all but out of time and options.

“The most pleasing thing was the way we came back,” Declan Ryan said. “We held our nerve and didn’t panic and it says a lot about the character of the team. Whenever Cork and Tipp meet, it is going to be a close game.”

And then you think back to five minutes before half-time, when Tipperary went to town. Patrick “Bonnar” Maher charging through desperate tackles and setting up Corbett for his goal. Maher then winning a free. Eoin Kelly leaping to collect Shane McGrath’s long, direct ball and breaking the defence to strike low. 2-8 to 0-7 all of a sudden and the day looked ominous for Cork.

Donal Óg Cusack stayed on the ground as the home fans in the crowd of 31,231 began to celebrate in full voice. The goalkeeper called the team medic on to examine an ache and used those minutes like a boxer using the count.

Cork had their legs back and produced three late points. They huddled in the dressingroom in a serious place but still alive. They came back out and made every ball count. They turned the match into vintage Tipperary and Cork.

“Questions were asked,” Corbett admitted. “And they were answered today.”