The Corkman
22nd February 2001

THIS time 12 months ago, the Cork hurlers travelled to Nowlan Park to begin their National League campaign fully aware that they would be facing a Kilkenny side hell-bent on providing their supporters with a modicum of consolation for their unexpected defeat at the hands of the Rebels in the All-Ireland final the previous September.

It was the third season in succession that the counties crossed swords in the opening round of the competition, with Cork winning comfortably by 0-16 to 1-8 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh in 98, and coming out on top again, 0-14 to 1-9, at Pairc Ui Rinn in 99.

Nobody would have been too surprised by those results, given that Kilkenny weren't without their troubles going into both games. In 98, for instance, Kilkenny were struggling to come to terms with the shock announcement by D J Carey that he no longer wished to be involved at inter-county level.

And, in 99, their morale was at a very low ebb after Offaly had bounced back from their 98 Leinster final failure to turn the tables on Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider, a defeat which prompted the immediate resignation of team coach Kevin Fennelly. Last year, however, Kilkenny didn't have any internal problems to contend with ahead of the league clash with Cork.

And, while their line-out for the game included just seven of the players who had started in the All-Ireland final five months earlier, it was obvious that they would be highly motivated for the league pipe-opener. Cork, for their part, fielded close to full-strength, with Sean Og O hAilpín the only absentee from the team which had claimed the Liam McCarthy Cup at Kilkenny's expense.

It was a clear indication that Cork were desperately keen to lower Kilkenny's colours again, and prevent the notion that they had caught the Noresiders on the hop in the championship decider from gathering momentum. Needless to say, the game was contested with championship-like fervour, and, at the end of it, Kilkenny had four points to spare, 1-13 to 0-12, with a cracking goal from D J Carey having a vital bearing on the outcome.

That came five minutes before half-time, and it rocked Cork back on their heels at a stage of the game when, having recovered from a sluggish start, they were threatening to stamp their authority on the proceedings. It pushed Kilkenny 1-6 to 0-6 ahead, and, more importantly, it allowed them to regain the initiative and tack on three unanswered points before the break.

Although Cork rallied again in the second-half, cutting the gap to two points by the 50th minute, Kilkenny put in the stronger finish to fashion a victory which was savoured to the full by the partisan home crowd. Significantly, Cork and Kilkenny seldom performed with similar enthusiasm and failed to distinguish themselves in the league afterwards.

Yet, they headed the ante-post betting on last year's championship, and, after both retained their provincial crowns in most impressive fashion, they appeared to be destined to collide again in the game's showpiece. But Offaly put a spanner in the works by ousting Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final, and it's generally accepted that the Leesiders, extremely prodigal when on top in the first-half, were the chief architects of their own demise in that contest.

The pain of that defeat was heightened when Offaly failed dismally to measure up in the final against Kilkenny, who, like Cork, made the early running, and, unlike Cork, pressed home their advantage to the full to effectively wrap things up before half-time. Whether Cork would have denied Kilkenny again had they surmounted the Offaly hurdle is a moot point, but there can be no disputing that they would have provided Brian Cody's men with a much stiffer test.

So the boot will be on the other foot, as it were, when the teams renew rivalry in the National League at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday (24/02/01), with Kilkenny eager to quell suggestions that they were gifted the All-Ireland by Offaly last year, and Cork equally determined to boost their claims that they left the title behind them in 2000.

Adding to the appeal of this latest confrontation between what have undoubtedly been the top teams in the country over the past two years is the fact that both have made good starts in the league this season. Kilkenny began their campaign with a resounding win over Laois, and they provided ample evidence of their current well-being when likewise riding roughshod over Waterford at Walsh Park last Sunday.

Cork were equally emphatic winners over Laois in their only league outing to date at Portlaoise last Sunday (18/02/01) and, even allowing for the poor quality of the opposition, the efficient manner in which they did the business means that they will face into Saturday's test in a very positive frame of mind. The expectation is that both sides will field along the same lines as last weekend when Kilkenny had just seven of their All-Ireland winning team in action.

The Cork selectors were in experimental mood as well, and the message appears to be that there are places up for grabs on the team for the championship this summer.

As a consequence, the players won't be lacking incentive or commitment on Saturday when particular attention is likely to be focused on Newtownshandrum's Pat Mulcahy, Ben O'Connor and Mike Morrissey.

And Mike Morrissey, who made a promising debut in the Laois game, will do his prospects no harm at all if he acquits himself admirably against a centre-back of Eamonn Kennedy's calibre on Saturday.

Following their demolition job on Waterford, which featured a majestic display from the great D J Carey at midfield, Kilkenny are bound to be brimming with confidence going into this showdown with Cork. But it can be safely said that they will get nothing soft from Tom Cashman's charges, and, if such as Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Seán Og O hAilpín, Wayne Sherlock, John Browne and Joe Deane strike their best form, Cork could shade the issue in what promises to be a fascinating encounter.

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