Kilkenny are confident despite Cork's impressive form

DESPITE Cork’s impressive march to the Munster title, including an emphatic defeat of a strongly fancied Tipperary, Kilkenny go into tomorrow’s All-Ireland intermediate hurling final against the Leesiders at Dungarvan’s Fraher Field brimming with confidence.

It may be the calm before the storm, with the senior final eight days later, but if both sides measure up to their potential then this intermediate showdown should provide top-notch fare.

If incentive is a key ingredient for success, then the Cats are already halfway to lifting the title. Twice in successive years, they’ve been defeated by Cork in the final, losing the 2003 decider to the rebels by a solitary point and going down again the following year in a replay.