Cork's comeback against Limerick shows hurling league still matters - Niall Moran

Cork's fighting spirit in their win over Limerick showed that the Allianz Hurling League is still important to teams, believes Niall Moran.

The Rebels fought back from eight points down at half-time on Saturday night to pip the All-Ireland champions at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

Limerick's third championship triumph in a row after an underpowered league campaign last year led to suggestions that rivals might mirror their approach in 2023, but Moran saw little evidence of that on the opening weekend.

"It finished up a really good game of hurling and puts paid to this notion that the league doesn't matter to teams," the former Treaty forward told 2fm's Game On.

"Cork coming down the home stretch and getting three points, that meant a lot to them. They'll be thrilled to win a tight game.

"When you're trying to climb your way back up the ladder, every victory matters.

"It was very impressive. [Eoin] Downey did very well, Ciaran Joyce added to his reputation again.

"But Limerick will be pleased with a lot of what went on too. They won't be overly disappointed because they know they have a lot more to come."

We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

Cork's tackle/block count rose from 23 in the first half to 41 in the second.

But for Moran, saying the Rebels just worked harder is an over-simplification of the art of collective defending.

"At inter-county level, all these teams are working hard," he said. "Just sometimes the unity in how they work is the difference.

"So there was a more co-ordinated work rate in the second half from Cork. It's