Shane Kingston has to start to keep Cork in the hunt, reckons Tommy Walsh

Shane Kingston of Cork celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the qualifier win over Clare. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Kilkenny great Tommy Walsh believes Cork must start Shane Kingston in the All-Ireland final, arguing that the game “could be gone” if they wait until the second half to spring their supersub.

Boss Kieran Kingston has a giant decision to make regarding his son, after dropping the attacker for the semi-final against Kilkenny, only for Shane to make a huge statement with seven points as a sub.

Nine-time All-Ireland winner Walsh reckons Cork will need Kingston from the start simply to keep them in the game.

He also claimed that if Kingston is held in reserve, Limerick will have a carefully crafted plan for dealing with him and gave the example of Cathal Naughton’s experience as a sub for Cork against Kilkenny in the 2006 final.

“I would not be waiting for 20 minutes to go, the game could be well and truly over at that stage,” said Walsh. “If it’s a 50-50 game it’s different, you can bring him on then to finish off the game. But for Cork, I think it’s about staying in this game for the first 50 minutes and then using their speed to finish off Limerick, like Mayo did against Dublin in the football.

Former Kilkenny star Tommy Walsh: 'I would definitely start Kingston because he seems to be in the form of his life'. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

“Mayo were out of the game at first but they got back into the game, so when it was close with 10 minutes to go, suddenly Dublin were asking themselves questions, they didn’t have that confidence of a three or a four-point lead anymore and that’s what Cork have to do to this Limerick team — make them question themselves.

So I would definitely start Kingston because he seems to be in the form of his life, seven points from play the last day.

“The other thing is that if they leave him until the 40th or 50th minute to come on, the first thing that’s going to be in your head as a Limerick guy, it’s going to be in their team talks all week, ‘If Kingston comes on lads,’ whoever they pick out, if it’s Sean Finn maybe, ‘you pick him up and just nail him. Stick with him. Put him off his game. Wherever he goes, you go. You’re lying in his pocket’.

“That will upset Kingston because Kingston got the run of Croke Park when they came on and kind of surprised Kilkenny because nobody thought of Kingston coming up to the semi-final.

“When he came on, it wasn’t in Kilkenny players’ heads that, ‘We need to nail this guy, we need to mark this guy tight’. They stayed playing their positions and he seemed to be able to rove between the half-forward line, midfield, and full-forward line, pick up all these balls and hit them over the bar.

“If that happens on Sunday, I would imagine John Kiely will have his homework done. It happened to us in the 2006 final, Cathal Naughton came on in the semi-final against Waterford, ran riot.

“It was in our heads all week, especially the backs and our goalkeeper, James McGarry, ‘When Naughton comes on we’re going to take him, so be ready for him and do not let him do what he did against Waterford’. You’re just so mentally tuned in, so focused, so if that’s the way Cork are going to play it, leave him to the end, then I think Limerick will be ready for him.”

Walsh tipped Limerick for victory though spoke of a ‘Red Wave’ flowing through hurling generally with Cork teams excelling at all grades.

The former wing-back also gave a glowing tribute to Patrick Horgan, arguably the greatest current hurler without an All-Ireland medal, whom he played for Ireland with in hurling/shinty internationals.

“You can’t catch the ball so as a forward you have to be able to control it and turn without it touching your hand, which is next to impossible if there is a lad marking you, and I thought Horgan was the best man I have seen skill-wise at that game. I was blown away by his skill.”

- Electric Ireland ambassador Tommy Walsh was speaking ahead of the Electric Ireland All-Ireland MHC final between Cork and Galway on Saturday in Thurles.