By Séamus Leonard
Cork take on Waterford at Semple Stadium on Sunday keen to end a run of five Championship games without a win against their Munster neighbours, throw-in 2pm.
But while Cork’s elder statesmen will have been at the receiving end of recent defeats to the Déise, most of their younger colleagues will have no personal experience of such events.
The prize for the winner of this All-Ireland quarter-final will be a semi-final date with Galway, and all three teams on the other side of the draw to Tipperary and Kilkenny will feel 2012 offers a great chance for them to reach an All-Ireland decider.
While Galway were hugely impressive against Kilkenny in the Leinster final, they have yet to prove they have the requisite consistency to carry them to Liam MacCarthy success.
Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy has brought a much-needed feelgood factor back into Cork hurling, and has used the qualifier route to blood some of his youngsters.
They struggled to get past Offaly, but made slightly easier work of Wexford before running out 10-point winners.
But Waterford have a vast array of experienced players, and their half-back line of Tony Browne, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh and Kevin Moran must be one of the most cultured lines the GAA has ever seen.
Barry-Murphy has reacted accordingly by bringing three-time All-Star Seán Óg Ó h’Ailpín in at wing-back. It is one of three changes to the Rebels’ starting XV, as their manager continues his rotation policy.
The Rebels boss has admitted that some players are “unhappy” with not getting enough game time, but he is content with the situation as long as it maintains competition for places within the squad.
Waterford come into the game on the back of a second consecutive Munster final defeat to Tipperary, but manager Michael Ryan was pleased on the improvement on last year’s final when Tipp went to town and scored 7-19.
The Premier men were seven-point winners in the end this year, but it was very close to the end before they were assured of victory.
The Déise will rue several missed chances in the final minutes of the provincial decider, but they seem to be taking the view that it is better to be cursing missed chances than worrying about having not created opportunities at all.
And they will be confident that their forwards will be afforded space by a Cork rearguard that conceded 4-33 in their games against Offaly and Wexford.
The likes of John Mullane and Stephen Molumphy are well used to being written off at this stage, but they showed enough against Tipp to suggest they have what it takes to secure another win over Cork.
Verdict: Waterford
