Irish Independent
Friday September 12th 2003
by Brian Lohan (Clare)

VIRTUALLY everyone is going for Kilkenny, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Cork will come out on top. I don't attach any significance to Cork's performance against Clare, because that day we were very poor all over the field.

But in the Munster final against Waterford and the replay against Wexford, Cork answered all the questions that were asked about them.

At half-time against Waterford, they were under some pressure, but they really upped their game in the second half. And in the All-Ireland semi-final replay, Cork showed that they had learned their lessons from the drawn game. I know that on occasions this year the Cork full-back line has looked suspect, and the number of goals that Cork have conceded this year must be a worry. But the full-back line tightened up considerably when Diarmuid O'Sullivan switched to the centre from the corner early on in the replay against Wexford.

O'Sullivan seems to be getting back to his very high level of form and fitness of a few years ago, and he was driving man and ball out the field. As well, Pat Mulcahy is a big, strong player, and his and O'Sullivan's physical presence will be very important against the likes of Henry Shefflin, Eddie Brennan and DJ Carey.

Other plusses for Cork in the battle for the Liam McCarthy are the comfortable way that Ronan Curran has slotted in at No 6, the fact that Donal O'Grady has united the players in such an impressive fashion, and the tradition of Cork teams rising to the occasion in All-Ireland finals.

On the debit side for Cork is the fact that their backs have yet to meet a forward line of Kilkenny's quality.

In the past, Kilkenny depended an awful lot on Carey and Shefflin, but now the scoring threat is much more widely spread. I think one of the key factors could be the result of the duel between Curran and Shefflin.

Predicted scoreline: Cork 3-14 Kilkenny 1-18