It's whoever wants it most on Sunday. It's going to be very tight and I don't think there'll be more than a puck of a ball between the sides.
It’s set up for a tactical battle but the physicality and intensity that this game is going to be played at is going to be huge.
Tipperary are going to be very hungry going into this game.
I know from talking to a couple of guys in Tipp that they think if they had got over Galway last year, they would have beaten Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final.
Now they have their chance to prove it.
Green is the colour
Tipperary have a forward line that can hurt any team. If Kilkenny are going to win this game they’ll have to nullify Tipperary’s goal threat.
In the semi-final, Tipp got two goals out of nowhere against Galway in the space of a couple of minutes. That's the ability that's there and the threat that they always carry.
Bubbles (O'Dwyer) is back in. You have Seamus Callanan, John McGrath, who has probably been the find of the year, Noel McGrath, Bonner (Maher).
I think if they can stop Tipp from scoring a goal Kilkenny will win but to do that is going to take a massive defensive effort.
Tipp will be very much the same. They'll be looking at Kilkenny's goal threat, the likes of TJ, Richie Hogan and Colin Fennelly, and they'll say that if they can stop Kilkenny from scoring goals that they'll win the game.
The eye of the storm
The most crucial area of this game is probably going to be the middle third.
Between both half-back lines, whoever can get a stranglehold of this area will have the platform to push on and win the game.
Kilkenny missing Michael Fennelly is going to be massive. His leadership qualities, physique and ability are a huge loss.
Semi-final lessons
Kilkenny are going to be very much battle-hardened. The two games against Waterford were huge games.
The resolve they showed to get a draw in the first game was phenomenal and the game in Thurles six days later was, for me, one of the best games of hurling in the last couple of years.
Tipp came out on the right side of a one-point win over Galway. Last year they came out the wrong side of that.
So it just shows that they've learned an awful lot as well.
Verdict
There's probably a little bit more pressure on Tipp going into the game so it's how they deal with that.
From a Kilkenny point of view, you'll be hoping they show up and show what they can do.
When you come against Tipperary in All-Ireland final it's always a phenomenal task but if they can nullify Tipp's goal threat I think Kilkenny might scrape it by three or four points.
Watch live coverage of Kilkenny v Tipperary on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player from 1405 and follow our live blog on RTE.ie. Listen live on RTÉ Radio 1 from 1300 to include coverage of the Tipperary v Limerick minor final and watch highlights of all the weekend's GAA action on The Sunday Game from 2130 on RTÉ2.
