Cork v Kilkenny

There will be no lack of motivation for Cork when they entertain defending League and All-Ireland champions Kilkenny on Sunday.

It was about this time last year that Cork - who had just resolved a players’ strike - travelled to Nowlan Park and came away licking their wounds after the Cats had ruthlessly inflicted a 27-point defeat on the visitors.

This time Cork are the hosts, with the Leesiders sitting top (on points difference) of the Division 1 table following wins over Offaly and Limerick.

They would have been expected to win those two games, however, and Sunday’s clash will offer us an insight into whether the Rebels have what it takes to be serious contenders for silverware this season.

Cork manager Denis Walsh have decided not to play his ‘twin towers’ of Aisake Ó h’Ailpín and Michael Cussen together in the full-forward line. He appears instead to be employing a rotation system with the pair.

Cussen scored 1-05 in his first-ever NHL start against Limerick last week, but he has made way for Ó h’Ailpín in this week’s line-up.

Kilkenny suffered a shock defeat to Tipperary last Sunday in a thoroughly enjoyable match at Semple Stadium. It was the Noresiders’ first competitive defeat of any kind since they fell to Waterford on the way to League success last season.

The men in black and amber were strangely out of sorts in Thurles, but it still took Tipp until the dying embers of the game to kill them off.

Manager Brian Cody will demand a response from his side. The James Stephens clubman usually gets what he wants.

Verdict: Kilkenny