Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing…

On paper, Cork should beat Kildare tomorrow. They have a stronger, more experienced starting team.

They have won the league and their provincial championship already this year. They have a settled team as well as several marquee forwards to come off the bench.

On the other hand, there is the one very obvious, and well-mentioned, cause for concern. The four week layoff period between the provincial final and the quarter-final of the All-Ireland is not ideal. The fact that Cork beat Clare so easily has meant that this interregnum has effectively turned the time delay into an eight-week sabbatical from competitive football. If you consider that Kerry didn’t exactly force Cork to really kick into gear on June 8, then you would struggle to see how Cork can expect to be battle-hardened at all this weekend.