The poor record of Munster champions in All-Ireland hurling semi-finals can't simply be put down to a lack of game time, according to Cork’s Eoin Cadogan.
Since the qualifiers were introduced in 2002, on fifteen occasions the Munster winners have progressed directly to a last four date.
However, Limerick became the latest side to fall at the penultimate hurdle last Saturday against Kilkenny, and only four times in that time period have the Munster winners advanced to the showpiece in Croke Park.
A four-week gap, compared to the increased game time for their opponents, is put forward as the main reason for the trend, but one player who knows that particular fate only too well says it can be too easy a crutch for the defeated team.
Eoin Cadogan was part of Cork's Munster winning teams of 2016 and 2017 that came a cropper at the semi-final stage and watched on at the weekend as an energetic Kilkenny edged out the reigning champions in an absorbing contest having defeated the Rebels the previous week.
"Based off the results over the past few years, the common perception is that it is a negative [four-week break]," he told 2fm's Game On.
"In saying that, that can be used as an excuse. If Limerick had won, or if we look back to last year and ourselves, if we had progressed onto the final, there would be no talk of it being a negative.
"I don’t think you can look back too much what time frame you have to prepare. If anything, it’s good for teams to have a big block of training as you can work on things and bring more of a togetherness."
Cork were fancied by some to launch another serious assault on Liam MacCarthy, but a second-half scoring blitz from Kilkenny prove to be their downfall.
Kilkenny base their style of play and gameplan off the fundamentals of hard work, honesty, relentless pressure and skill
Cadogan saw up close and personal how impressive Kilkenny can be and isn’t surprised to see them march into yet another All-Ireland final.
"They base their style of play and game plan off the fundamentals of hard work, honesty, relentless pressure and skill," the Douglas man says.
"Tactically against Limerick, they congested the middle eight, with the likes of Walter Walsh, TJ Reid and Adrian Mullen coming back to meet Tom Morrisey, Gearoid Hegarty and Kyle Hayes head-on in the middle eight and it became a warzone.
"Kilkenny got a huge amount of success of that."
The former dual player has gone toe-to-toe with Cats star TJ Reid down through the years, and while the Ballyhale man didn’t register a score from play against Cork or Limerick, recognizes what the towering centre-forward brings to the team.
"He’s an unbelievable hurler. He makes the group tick.
"His work rate has gone to a new level. He might not necessarily be contributing hugely from general play [scoring], but the setting up and freeing up of other players is unbelievable. You saw that in abundance against Limerick."
