While a 14th All-Ireland final appearance for Kilkenny under Brian Cody's watch isn't surprising, running out at Croke Park on the first Sunday of September must have seemed a million miles away for Tipperary after their early exit from the Munster SHC at the hands of Limerick.

Presiding over his fourth successive championship defeat, Eamon O'Shea's days as manager looked numbered, but with their backs to the wall, Tipp came out fighting against Galway in their next game. They've built up serious momentum since then thanks to further victories over Offaly, Dublin and Munster champions Cork.

The comeback win against Galway transformed Tipp's fortunes, something O'Shea readily acknowledges: "What you saw against Galway, the qualifier match we came back in, you'd have to ask where did the last 20 minutes came from?

"It came from the squad having a base-line belief that they could do something. I think a lot of that is down to themselves in terms of the way we've been training and our belief in what we do.

"We have a strong belief in ourselves and in our hurling. I have a strong belief in our hurling and I was delighted for them that it came together in that 20-minute spell - I wish we'd see a bit more of it! That's the aim for the next day - can we get to that level?"

Kilkenny, too, have bounced back impressively from a disappointing 2013 when Cork ended their interests at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage. They hammered Offaly by 28 points before defeating Galway (after a replay) and Dublin to regain their Leinster crown. A hard-fought All-Ireland semi-final victory over Limerick leaves Brian Cody (in his capacity as manager) and Henry Shefflin just 70 minutes away from their 10th All-Irelands.

After using a whopping 49 players during Kilkenny's successful Allianz League campaign, Cody is happy with the strength in depth in his squad.

"It is stronger than last year, not in any particular regard, but overall. We have decent cover for several positions," he said.

"Sometimes you have a settled team because the competition is not as strong as it should - or you would like it to - be. If you had a strong panel and real genuine options for the team, then it kind of makes sense that you might not necessarily have the same XV every day."

There are shades of 2010 when Tipperary came through the backdoor to stop Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bid in the All-Ireland final. Tipp are playing with a lot of confidence and will stand a great chance of repeating the victory of four years ago if the likes of Padraic Maher, John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer and Seamus Callanan can reproduce the form that made Cork look very ordinary in the semi-final.

But something that won't be lost on Tipperary supporters is their poor record against the Cats since 2010. Their most recent defeat came in last May's Allianz League final, when Kilkenny prevailed after extra-time. A similarly close game could well be on the cards tomorrow.

While a Tipp win wouldn't be a surprise, it's difficult to go against a Kilkenny team that, more often than not, performs on the big occasion. As well as being physically strong, they got exactly the sort of test they needed in the semi-final, and that could yet prove to be decisive on hurling's big day.

Verdict - Kilkenny.

Kilkenny team: Eoin Murphy; Paul Murphy, J J Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell; Joey Holden, Brian Hogan, Cillian Buckley; Richie Hogan, Conor Fogarty; Michael Fennelly, Colin Fennelly, T J Reid; Walter Walsh, Richie Power, Eoin Larkin.

Tipperry team: Darren Gleeson; Cathal Barrett, Padraic Maher, Paddy Stapleton; Brendan Maher, James Barry, Kieran Bergin; Shane McGrath, James Woodlock; Gearoid Ryan, Patrick Maher, John O'Dwyer; Noel McGrath, Seamus Callanan, Lar Corbett.

Match details: Sunday, Croke Park, 3.30pm.

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).

Odds: Kilkenny 8/11 Draw 10/1, Tipperary 6/4.

Tweet

Most Read Stories