September 2004 My prediction at the start of the year was that Kilkenny and Cork would contest this year's All-Ireland Final again but I did not believe that it would be as a result of both teams losing their respective provincial championships and going on to qualify through the backdoor system. I am certain that both Brian Cody and Donal O'Grady would have preferred to win the Leinster and Munster championships first , on route to the final but that matters little now as I believe both teams have benefited enormously from the extra games they have played. More importantly there is now a more settled look to each team with Cork particularly strengthened by the presence of Brian Corcoran at full forward and the Kilkenny defence much more secure with Tommy Walsh having moved back from the forwards to defence. Only more competitive games will give you the evidence of how good your team really is while it also gives you the opportunity of trying new players and trying players out in different positions. Winning championship matches unites a team and selectors no end and makes them battle hardened for the big one ahead. Cork have had three games since losing the Munster final and in each game they have played better than ever before. Hopefully they have left something in the tank for the Cats. Kilkenny have probably come through the harder side with those games against Clare and then Waterford. It has also proved that winning your provincial championship does not guarantee an All-Ireland final appearance anymore. Waterford and Wexford they certainly found this to their cost and moreover found that the six week break since their last competitive game upset the chance of progressing further in the championship. It must be hard to take for both teams to see opponents they already beat this year now contesting the final. Happily, there is a new format for next years championships and situations like this will be avoided but for the time being it is fair to say that because of those extra games the best two teams are now contesting the final. So could it be set up any better than this? Cork having won 28 titles - Kilkenny having won the same amount - while Kilkenny are going for a three-in-a-row and beat Cork in last year's decider. Kilkenny have never led Cork in the order of merit before and Cork were the last team to win three titles in a row back in 1976, 1977 and 1978. Hurling matches do not get any better than this and with a full house of 82,000 expected to cram into Croke Park, this has all the makings of being the game of the year with so much pride at stake. What will the preparations be like in the build up to the game? For players and mentors there are added pressures on them which they need to try and cope with and take in their stride if possible. First the demand on them for tickets cannot be understated as more and more people want to go and see our games. Then the media and press all want a piece of the action as the build up to the final gains momentum. Something which has become very popular over the last few years has been the traditional family day where all the young, and not so young, kids get the opportunity to meet their heroes, get to take photographs and have autographs signed on the back of their Jerseys and so on. This to me has been a fantastic innovation because a lot of these people will not be in a position to get to the match but this opportunity to meet with the stars brings so much joy and happiness to so many faces . Players and mentors, I might add, must take a bow here as the open day can be a very long and tiring one but I am sure they also feel it to be very worth while element of All-Ireland final day preparations. Again all of this is done in good time where it does not distract too much from the important item on the agenda and that is the game itself. Who is going to win the game and how and where will it be won? These are the questions which are been asked up and down the country at the moment . Have Cork played their All Ireland against Wexford in the semi final and if not can they repeat that performance again? Can Kilkenny find the killer instinct and kill off teams when they are on top rather than putting themselves under pressure in the last few minutes? Will Cork get off to a better start than they did last year and take the game to Kilkenny from the outset? Will Kilkenny allow all the space afforded to Cork by Wexford? - I believe not. All the questions which will be answered over the 70 minutes on September 12. Lets look at the strength of both teams and key individual battles which might decide this outcome Both half back lines have been in tremendous form this season and if there is any sort of dominance here by either side - to me this will decide the outcome of the match. Tommy Walsh, Peter Barry and JJ Delaney are excellent in the air and love nothing better than putting up their hands in the air and plucking the sliothar out of the sky from puckouts and clearances. This is where Donal Og Cusack will be of key importance to Cork with his restarts. I expect him to drop balls short or low to the wings and pull this line out of position as much as possible because if their half back line dominates as we know they can, then it puts the balance of the match in Kilkenny's favour. Not alone will they stop the supply of ball to the inside forwards of Cork but they will also be the launching pad for attacks at the other end. This has been Kilkenny's most consistent line this year but Cork also have made big inroads with their half forwards this year, particularly in the form of Ben O'Connor and Niall McCarthy. If they can win their share of possession and run at these half backs, forcing them to turn towards their own goal at every opportunity, then it could make all the difference to Cork. Another interesting question mark hangs over who will mark Ben O'Connor; will it be Tommy Walsh or JJ Delaney? Likewise at the other end it has been the Cork half back line which have proven to be their most consistent line. Sean Og O'hAilpin and Ronan Curran have been particularly impressive and with the expectation that John Gardiner will be recalled if fit to the other half back position, this too is a formidable line and one which Kilkenny I am sure will try to counteract . To me the overall strength here is their distribution of possession and particularly the way they place the ball up the wings and corners for the smaller forwards. This will be vital in the final as high balls will be to the advantage of the Kilkenny backs. A key battle could develop if Kilkenny play Henry Shefflin as a half forward as he is the one player who needs to be watched at all times. Brian Cody played him at right half forward last year on Sean Og and he did quite well but O'hAilpin is a much better player this year than he was then. If Cork were to come out on top here, then I feel they will have the initiative. Once you stop Shefflin, you are half way home although it may be easier said than done! Midfield has been very good to Cork in their last two games and the one notable feature has been the return on the scoreboard from this sector. I do not expect Kilkenny and their midfielders to allow Tom Kenny and Gerry O'Connor the same room and space afforded to them by Wexford. Again if Cork can come out on top here and maintain any sort of previous scoring ratio- I would feel the pendulum firmly moving Cork's way. All in all there are some fascinating battles in store and we could keep writing about it for ever but the old cliché still stands the test of time - it is all about performing on the day for 70 minutes. There is a huge build up and huge hype, yet it could all come down to a puck of the ball and some unlikely hero having his day when everybody else expected Shefflin, DJ, Ben O'Connor or Joe Deane to be the hero. You just have to remember Martin Comerford last year as proof in point. Will there be a new kid on the block this year? One thing is certain though - we are in for one hell of a game and hopefully one which will be enjoyed by young and old. May the best team win, once it is Cork of course! Tweet

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