Since when are the ’Well underdogs?
"No injury worries whatsoever," reported an upbeat 'Well manager, Jim Fawl. "We had a good workout on Tuesday night. Everyone was checked, everyone was cleared. The humour is top-class, they really want this, they have a great belief in themselves."
In the Newtown camp the news wasn't quite so rosy; John McCarthy and wing-forward Donal Mulcahy have serious leg injuries, but manager Patsy Morrissey was positive nevertheless.
"John has been training for the last week and a half but whether he's ready to play or not is another question, we'll be fitness testing him this [Saturday] afternoon. Donal is doing a lot of aqua-training, in the pool, he's getting himself fit, and though there's no way he'll be ready to start, he's coming back into the reckoning."
With both sides near full strength then, all is set fair for a superb contest. In the Limerick semi-final and final Patrickswell saw off Ahane and Adare, who have both dominated the county hurling scene for the past few years, then toppled Clarecastle of Clare and reigning Munster champions Mount Sion.
Newtown ended the three-in-a-row dreams of Blackrock in Cork, then saw off Toomevara of Tipperary in the other semi-final. Decent from both sides, which leaves Patsy Morrissey a little bemused at his team as odds-on favourites.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous. Who's making us such hot favourites, the bookies, the press? I'm at a total loss to understand how they can do that.
"Anyone who read the recent articles in the Irish Examiner will know the feeling in the 'Well. They believe they're going to win it. Patrickswell have been through the mill, whereas we're coming to the first ever Munster final in the history of the club.
"Some of the real icons of Limerick hurling came out of the 'Well, and two of those, Ciaran Carey and Gary Kirby, are still with them. They also have the likes of Anthony Carmody, Paul O'Grady, Eoin Foley, Barry Foley, back from America, all of whom will have a huge influence.
"They have the pedigree, they are obviously in form, but all of a sudden we're favourites.
"It makes no sense at all."
Neither is Patsy ruling his side out.
Traditionally, Newtownshandrum are one team never beaten before they start, but they are realists and genuinely respect Patrickswell.
This one will be a dog-fight.
"I'm not trying to knock our chances," Patsy emphasises, "but there's no way that hot favouritism is justified. But one way or the other, there'll be nothing in it. The 'Well haven't been winning by a whole pile, but no-one will beat them easily either. This will be a tough game."
'Well coach Jim Fawl, who coached Sixmilebridge to the Munster and All-Ireland club titles in 1996, was also a little nonplussed.
"A lot of people have written them off, but a lot of people seem to forget the hurling tradition that's in Patrickswell. They were winning Limerick county championships when no-one else was winning, dominated here for years.
"You can't write off tradition overnight. Something was lacking alright in the past few years, but it had nothing to do with age. Anthony Carmody, Gary (Kirby) and Ciaran (Carey) were in their thirties, but that was as far as it went, the rest were still young.
"We've brought in a few more young lads this year, the two O'Reilly's for example, Conor O'Grady back playing his best hurling, and they've made a difference also.
"It's a well-balanced team now. They still have a bit to do before they reach the standard of the Sixmilebridge team of '96, but they're not far away from it, they're trying hard, going in the right direction. They're fabulous lads to train, very interested, and that makes things very easy for me."
Because of its location on the Limerick border, many in Newtown certainly Patsy Morrissey, who played with the green-and-gold through the 70's and 80's when Patrickswell were at their peak are aware of the threat.
Because Newtown are such newcomers on the Cork senior scene at this level, however, they are a bit of a mystery outside the county.
Jim Fawl admits to knowing little about them, apart from the Cork stars Ben and Jerry O'Connor and Pat Mulcahy, the Morrissey brothers, Paul (goalkeeper) and Mike. He also admits he's unlikely to be studying any videotapes of Newtown in action either.
"That's not arrogance," he explains, "it's just that hurling is still the kind of game where it's all on the day. You can put all the best intentions and all the best thinking into it, but this is still the most spontaneous game of all, you've still got to make it happen on the day."
The belief here is that it could go either way but Newtown have just about enough to create their own bit of history.
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