Seanie McGrath: Saturday is now the barometer against which Cork will be measured 

Cork have to bring the same balanced aggression to Thurles. Collect the two points and then we can have a chat about lift-off.

We had Cork minor hurling training at 9am Sunday morning on the Páirc Uí Chaoimh 4G. The place was a great deal quieter and emptier than the night previous. The mood, though, hadn’t dipped or dimmed.

We were coming into training off the back of a defeat midweek and missing out on our own Munster final, but you’d hardly have known that from the way each young lad bounced in the gate well before the clock reached 9am.