Dubs will be ready for us, says O’Neill

Cork defender Shane O’Neill is not buying the theory that Dublin hurlers will be disadvantaged in not having played a competitive game since their memorable Leinster final victory over Galway on July 7.

Experienced defender O’Neill is one of the few players in the current squad who has opposed them at championship level — his losing Munster debut in 2007 against Waterford being followed by the qualifier meeting in Parnell Park.

“You hear both sides of the story, but to be honest it’s down to the day and if I was looking at a five-week block of training, they will have got a serious amount of work done,” he says. “I know games help, especially competitive ones. They often say they are worth a few training sessions and you can see the logic behind that too,” argues O’Neill