Seamus Harnedy had done everything right. The 28-year-old had managed to find a modicum of room for himself amid the mayhem of the Limerick area.

The game-winning goal awaited just one more flick of the wrists … and then Quaid intervened.

Ghosted in like a thief in the night and stole Cork’s season.

“He just came out of nowhere,” said an appreciative Declan Hannon.

“It was just incredible, wasn’t it?” was the take of Limerick manager John Kiely who put the moment in context by expanding on just how sharp Cork had been in front of goal on the day.

“I don’t know how he got around to it. But he got a touch on the ball.

“They were fast getting their shots off today, Cork, and the boys found it very difficult. They were turning left and right and getting them off really quickly. Very hard to get the blocks in and we didn’t get too many in in the fullback line.”

Harnedy had already been deprived of one goal just five minutes earlier. With Limerick four points into their seven-in-a-row burst for the line, Patrick Horgan struck an effort at a point high off the post and the rebound fell just a yard behind his onrushing colleague. Fine margins.

You could argue that Limerick earned their slice of good fortune. Six points down with six minutes of normal time to play, a rescue act of any description looked outlandish, let alone one without the extra buoyancy of a goal at such a late stage.

That they managed it without the aid of a green flag owed no little to the input of a bench that would contribute 2-6 to the eventual tally and one whose hustle and nuisance value was felt on more than just the scoreboard.

Kiely said: “We had to make changes that were difficult because we had players who played very well but we had to take a gamble that they had probably given their all. We made a few changes and managed to get a foothold on the Cork puckout at that stage.”

The momentum had shifted. Irrevocably, as it turned out.

“We were very confident going around the place in the dressing room (at the end of normal time). We just needed to get ourselves organised and get out at it. We got out of a bit of a storm in the first five minutes and then the lads came out and took their chances.

“Once the second goal went in in injury-time we got that seven-point lead and then we had the capacity to defend that for the rest of it as the clock ran down.

"Just so, so proud of the players because that fivepoint lead with 10 minutes to go is some challenge.”