Cork should beware of the vengeful Cats hiding in the long grass

WITHIN minutes of Kilkenny’s powerful victory over Tipperary on Sunday, the talk around Croke Park was of 1999 and an unheralded Cork’s shock win over the mighty Black and Amber.

This team, this year, is so similar with their momentum building by the game. Or so reckoned several of the Cork faithful who remained in Dublin overnight to take in the second game.

But of course it's not the same. Then, and even though Cork hadn't won an All-Ireland senior title since 1990, there was little or no expectation that the young colts of '99 would deliver. With the All-Ireland U21 titles of '97 and '98 under their belts, the general hope in Cork was that the team were a work in progress.