by Randal Scally Kilkenny v Clare The hurling year reaches its climax on Sunday when Kilkenny and Clare meet in the All-Ireland final for the first time in 70 years. When the counties last met in the showpiece game back in 1932, the Cats triumphed on a 3-3 to 2-3 scoreline. They last met in the championship three years ago when, after a very entertaining semi-final, Kilkenny won by 2-14 to 1-13. Most hurling pundits will be expecting the Cats to continue their dominance of this fixture on Sunday, especially in light of their stunning performance against reigning champions Tipperary in the semi-final. But Clare have a tremendous record in Croke Park since 1995 and given the huge momentum that is behind them, they cannot be dismissed. Kilkenny, who are appearing in their fourth final in five years, have been a model of consistency this season. An extended run in the National League culminated in them overcoming Cork in the final. The Cats' first half performance against an Offaly team in transition in the Leinster semi-final was nothing to write home about but they did come good in the second half to run out comfortable winners. The final against Wexford proved to be a tough struggle and it took a late point from substitute Brian Dowling to settle the outcome. In the lead-up to the Tipperary game, all the talk was about DJ Carey and how he would perform after his year-long absence. The Gowran genius was under considerable pressure but responded magnificently by notching four points and setting up Jimmy Coogan for a crucial goal in the second half. Carey may have stolen most of the headlines but as a team, Kilkenny were outstanding. After a shaky start, Philly Larkin got to grips with Tipp scoring machine Eoin Kelly. Peter Barry was an immovable object at centre back, catching a huge amount of ball and delivering quality possession to the forwards. Team captain Andy Comerford led by example at midfield and scored a majestic point in the first half. Up front, Henry Shefflin produced another scintillating display and his late point - which came at a time when Tipp looked as though they were getting on top - was hugely significant. Carey, Martin Comerford as well as substitutes Coogan and Charlie Cater were other forwards to leave their mark on the game. Just when it seemed the great team of the mid-to-late 1990s had run out of steam, Clare have come good again and much of the credit must go to their manager Cyril Lyons who has them playing with a belief that they cannot be beaten. Lyons has finally stepped out of the shadow of his illustrious predecessor Ger Loughnane and, while his side continues to be backboned by the stars of the 1995 and '97 campaigns, he has also introduced a lot of new talent, including David Hoey, Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody. The Bannermen were defeated narrowly by Tipperary in the opening round of the Munster championship on May 19 but the new All-Ireland qualifying system provided them with the opportunity to resurrect their All-Ireland challenge. They easily accounted for Dublin at Parnell Park before overwhelming what was a tired and disjointed Wexford side in Portlaoise. It wasn't until they beat last year's All-Ireland runners-up Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final, however, that people began to sit up and take notice. Niall Gilligan's cheekily-taken goal kept Clare in contention at half-time. As the second half wore on, Clare began to exert dominance in a number of key positions and their tremendous battling qualities had Galway on the back-foot. With the game in the melting pot, Colin Lynch fired over the winning point in injury-time to give the Bannermen a dramatic victory. Despite making a poor start to the semi-final against Waterford, Clare were ahead at the interval thanks to an Alan Markham goal. The Decies threw everything at Clare in the second half but the Banner defence frustrated them time and again. In the end, Clare were full value for their 1-16 to 1-13 victory but the performance was somewhat overshadowed by a serious hand injury sustained by wing back Gerry Quinn, which is set to rule him out of Sunday's game. The big positive for Clare going into this final is the outstanding form of their defence. The likes of Brian Lohan and Seanie McMahon are playing as well as they have ever done and they have been squeezing the life out of opposing attacks all season. Colin Lynch is also playing exceptionally well at midfield and has been receiving good support from John Reddan. Clare also have the option of introducing Ollie Baker to this sector if the going happens to get tough. The Banner County forwards have been criticised this year, but they are still chalking up match-winning tallys. Jamsie O'Connor has shown a welcome return to form in recent games and it's likely that a huge performance will have to come from him if Clare are to triumph. On the evidence of their display against Tipperary, Kilkenny look strong enough to claim their 27th All-Ireland crown. But Clare's ability to draw players into the middle of the pitch will make it difficult for the Cats to play an expansive game. If Clare's big performers, i.e. Lohan, McMahon, Lynch and O'Connor can dominate their positions, the likelihood is that the players around them will draw inspiration. Clare's never-say-die attitude is legendary and with that, they can never be ruled out. But Kilkenny are a hungry bunch themselves - as was evident in the closing stages against Tipperary - and to lose a third All-Ireland decider in five years doesn't bear thinking about as far as they are concerned. Clare are arguably a more battle-hardened team but the Cats' stronger attack and substitutes' bench makes them a more potent outfit overall and this should prove decisive. Verdict: Kilkenny. All-Ireland minor hurling final preview Killkenny v Tipperary The minors of Kilkenny and Tipperary meet in the curtain-raiser to Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final between Clare and Kilkenny. This will be the 13th meeting of the old rivals in an All-Ireland minor hurling decider with Tipperary currently holding a 7/5 advantage. The last time they met in the showpiece game was in 1991 when the Cats triumphed by 0-15 to 1-10. Among the players to graduate from those teams to senior level were PJ Delaney and Denis Byrne (Kilkenny) and Brian O'Meara and Tommy Dunne (Tipperary). Despite their vice-like grip on the Leinster championship over the past decade or so, Kilkenny haven't captured the Irish Press Cup since they overcame Galway by 1-17 to 1-12 in 1993. Tipp's last success was in 1996 when they beat Galway after a replay of exceptional quality. Managed by former Waterford star Nicky Cashin, Kilkenny survived a strong challenge from Dublin in their championship opener. The Metropolitans, who had qualified for the Leinster semi-final through the round-robin series, were 0-7 to 0-6 in front at the interval but the Cats hit back with six unanswered points on the restart. Dublin rallied with two goals but Kilkenny held out for a 0-18 to 2-10 victory. The Cats may have struggled in their win over Dublin but they were much too strong for Wexford in the Leinster final, running out winners by 2-15 to 2-8. A brace of goals from half forward Willie O'Dwyer were essentially the difference between the two sides. O'Dwyer's second goal eight minutes into the second half was a real hammerblow to the Slaneysiders who failed to score thereafter. A highly-rated Galway provided stiff opposition for Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final but the Leinster champions rose to challenge magnificently to win by 2-13 to 2-11. The Tribesmen had looked the most likely winners until substitute Eoin Reid found the net in the 43rd minute. Typically, Kilkenny finished the stronger with points from Richie Power and O'Dwyer sending them through to the final. Like Kilkenny, Tipperary haven't required the 'back door' to reach this final. Under the management of Paddy McCormack, Phil Ryan, Jamsie Ivors and Vincent McKenna, they opened their campaign with a facile 5-20 to 0-6 victory over Kerry. Wing forward Pat Shortt was a major thorn in the Kingdom's side, scoring goals in the 14th and 20th minutes and also hitting six points from frees. Limerick provided a much more searching examination at Kilmallock on May 8 with Tipp edging past them on a 1-13 to 1-12 scoreline. Again, Shortt was the Premier County's top scorer with 0-6. In the Munster final against All-Ireland champions Cork, Trevor Ivors' 2-3 inspired Tipperary to a 3-7 to 2-7 triumph. The blue and golds were the better side, with all but two of their scores coming from play. They laid the foundations for victory in the first half with goals from Ivors and Francis Devanney helping them to a 2-5 to 1-2 lead at the interval. A goal from Cork's Michael Naughton reduced the deficit to three points but Tipp restored their six-point advantage in the 41st minute when Ivors notched his second goal. Arguably Tipperary's most accomplished performance to date came against Wexford in the All-Ireland semi-final. Toomevara's Willie Ryan, who was cleared to play after being sent off in a club match a few weeks earlier, bagged 2-5 as Tipp ran out easy 4-13 to 0-13 winners. Ryan's first goal after just 40 seconds ensured that Tipp were in control from start to finish. Ivors scored their second goal after seven minutes while Shortt also found the net in what was a dominant Tipp showing. Kilkenny are slight favourites to win this final, based purely on their defeat of All-Ireland favourites Galway. But Tipp fans will rightly point out that their side were more convincing winners over Wexford than the Cats were. Both teams are packed with quality performers with full back John Tennyson, midfielder PJ Delaney and forwards Richie Power, Michael Rice, James Fitzpatrick and Willie O'Dwyer being the key men for Kilkenny. Tipp's big guns are full back Derek Bourke, centre back David Kennedy, midfielders Wayne Cully and Diarmuid Corcoran and forwards Pat Shortt, Willie Ryan, Trevor Ivors and Francis Devanney. It's a very difficult game to call but with Kilkenny fans expected to flock to Croke Park early, their vocal support could prove crucial. Also, the Cats' tough battle with Galway may give them a slight edge. Verdict: Kilkenny. Tweet

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