Rebels try to steal Cats' crown

Cork and Kilkenny meet today to decide this year's All-Ireland hurling final, and for the first time, neither side has won its respective provincial championship.

Kilkenny are going for a hat-trick of titles, while Cork are looking to banish the ghosts of last year, when they went down at the final hurdle to the Cats.

Another dash of spice is added to the game with the contest for overall honours. Cork and Kilkenny lead the roll of honour with 28 senior hurling titles each, and whoever wins takes the outright lead.

Cork won their first two championship outings against Kerry and Limerick, but relinquished their provincial title to Waterford, which sent them into the qualifiers.

A win over Tipperary was followed by facile victories over Antrim and Wexford in the semi-final.

Kilkenny, on the other hand, were odds-on favourites to retain their Leinster crown. However, they went down to a Wexford side in the semi-final after conceding an injury-time goal.

The Cats were determined to prove their worth in the qualifiers. They drew Dublin first and trounced them by 26 points.

They then atoned for the 2001 defeat to Galway by hammering the Tribesmen. A hard-fought quarter-final match with Clare resulted in a draw, which the Cats won in the replay, and then Brian Cody's men disposed of 'form team' Waterford in the semis.

Unsurprisingly, Cody has stuck with the side that defeated the Decies for today's game.

Corner-back Michael Kavanagh came through a fitness test and is selected in his usual berth, after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Kilkenny have reshuffled their forwards, with John Hoyne leading the attack, flanked by marksmen supreme Henry Shefflin and DJ Carey. Team captain Martin Comerford operates at full-forward with James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick and Eddie Brennan in the corners.

Meanwhile, Cork welcome Na Piarsaighs' John Gardiner back for today's clash.

Gardiner missed the semi-final win over Wexford after picking up a hand injury in a club football game.

He goes in at right half-back in a direct swap with Cian O'Connor, who deputised for Gardiner in the semi-final victory.

The team features a number of changes from last year's losing line-up, the most notable being the return of Brian Corcoran, who spurred Cork on to their last All-Ireland final victory in 1999.

Bride Rovers' Brian Murphy makes his début, replacing Pat Mulcahy from last year's side. Kieran Murphy is another debutante, replacing Setanta Ó hAilpín, who left to play Aussie Rules football in the wake of last year's final.

Kilkenny won last year's decider by three points, with Cork failing to register many scores in the first-half and getting the bulk of the play. What will also stand to Kilkenny is the stamina they showed in winning their quarter and semi-finals, while Cork had a relatively easy passage.

There is far more at stake for these sides than just tomorrow's match. Kilkenny have a chance to make history, while Cork feel they cannot leave Croke Park tomorrow without the Liam McCarthy Cup, especially in light of last year.

On paper, the Cats are the better side, and if there's any defence that can curb the free-scoring forwards of Cork, it's Kilkenny's.

CORK (SH v Kilkenny): D Óg Cusack; W Sherlock, D O’Sullivan, B Murphy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Óg Ó hAilpín; T Kenny, J O’Connor; B O’Connor, N McCarthy, T McCarthy; K Murphy, B Corcoran, J Deane.

KILKENNY (SH v Cork): J McGarry; M Kavanagh, N Hickey, J Ryall; T Walsh, P Barry, JJ Delaney; D Lyng, K Coogan; H Shefflin, J Hoyne, DJ Carey; J Fitzpatrick, M Comerford, E Brennan.