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Tight call, but Tipp’s experience may be deciding factor

What form to go on here?

Cork’s sterling win over Tipperary in the league semi-final when they finished powerfully, outscoring their opponents seven points to one in the final quarter, or Cork’s subsequent mauling at the paws of the Cats in the league final when they trailed 2-6 to 0-1 after 11 minutes?

In the first game Cork looked to be the team everyone was talking about, a fast-maturing threat for major honours even in Jimmy Barry-Murphy’s first year back at the helm. In the second they looked to be what in fact they are, a work in progress and still a distance off the pace of a full-power Kilkenny.

Barry-Murphy and his selectors have shown their ruthless side, cut six of the 15 that started against Kilkenny; it shows an honesty and a readiness to face even unwelcome facts. Cork needed to make changes and did. Time will tell whether or not they prove effective but they needed to be made.

Tipperary too have made changes from their starting side against Limerick, and all three of Conor O’Brien, Shane McGrath and Patrick Maher played very well on their introduction in that game and deserve the nod. Still, veteran and former captain Eoin Kelly can consider himself unlucky; but for a few poor calls by referee Barry Kelly he would surely have had a couple of goals in that game, putting a very different gloss on his end-product.

Not an easy game to call and while I believe it will be as close as the contest in Portlaoise between Kilkenny and Dublin, I’m a lot more uncertain about the outcome. This is not because of any disrespect to Tipperary, any hint that they’ve gone backwards; rather it’s a measure of respect for how far Cork have come . There’s still an air of mystery about them, and Brian Murphy starting at full-back on high-fielding John O’Brien will be interesting. But, while there’s real menace in the Cork attack if they’re given enough ball, Tipp’s experience may be the deciding factor.

* Verdict: Tipperary.

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