O’Grady: Cats have Croker edge for final

CORK boss Donal O’Grady believes Kilkenny’s familiarity with Croke Park gives them an edge for the All-Ireland hurling final on Sunday week.

O’Grady delivered the first psychological blow of the build-up yesterday.

He declared: “The GAA say they need a gate of over 30,000 at Croke Park to break even, but they’re playing Leinster Championship games there all the time with 25,000 people. It affords the Leinster teams a bit of experience of playing in Croke Park. I have never played there, but the lads say it is a different surface from Thurles, Limerick or Cork. If it’s damp it’s tough to play on, so it gives Leinster counties that bit of familiarity that Munster teams don’t have. That’s an advantage for them.”