In Kilkenny, much wants more

I’M DOWN in Cork for a few days this week, took in a game, a senior hurling relegation match between Midleton and Carrigtwohill. It was a replay, went to extra-time, and all I can say is this – if I see anything tomorrow in Croke Park like I saw in Castlemartyr, the quality of the hurling, the play, the players, I’ll be a happy man. I met a man on the way out, and typical Cork, he thinks I won’t — “Hey boy,” he said to me, “you won’t see anything like that on Sunday.”

I hope to God he’s wrong.

Am I looking for too much, in hoping for another great game between Waterford and Kilkenny? Staying with the Cork theme, there’s a song from the western part of this huge county, Revenge For Skibbereen – surely that thinking has to play a part tomorrow for Waterford? It’s to their credit they are back again in Croke Park at this late stage of the year, but you can’t help but wonder — is it a good thing or a bad thing for Waterford, or for hurling in general? We won’t know the answer to that til tomorrow evening, but one thing that’s surely in their favour this time round — there isn’t as much hype around the place. Last September it was all about Waterford, about them finally reaching the All-Ireland final, about the opportunity they had to challenge Kilkenny, put it up them. As we all know now, it didn’t work out. This time around it’s about trying to figure out what went wrong on that terrible day, about how to put it right.