You couldn't have slid a piece of paper between Cork and Kilkenny in their 2021 All-Ireland semi-final, well until extra-time at least.
In front of just 24,000 people at Croke Park, under Covid restrictions, the game’s two most successful counties played out a thriller and after 70 minutes plus change, it was Kilkenny 1-26 Cork 0-29 before the Rebels found a way in the additional 20 minutes.
Cork went on to lose to Limerick in the final, something Kilkenny experienced the following season. In 2023, Cork failed to get out of Munster with the Cats returning to the final where, again, John Kiely’s Green Machine proved too much of a force.
On the surface, the suggestion at that stage that the future was much brighter for Cork than their traditional rivals would have been a hard argument to sell, but here we are. Sold and paid for.
In 2024 and '25 Kilkenny faltered at the All-Ireland semi-final stage with Cork going one step further. Nothing too pronounced, admittedly.
Then the shellshock of Sunday past. A few hours before an injury-ravaged Cork walked over Clare to keep alive the chance to defend their Munster title, Kilkenny’s season was over before the All-Ireland series even began.
Such a suggestion would have appeared somewhat ludicrous in the aftermath of that All-Ireland semi-final in 2021.
For one, Offaly, who advanced from Leinster at the weekend, were preparing for a second year in the third-tier Christy Ring Cup. With the greatest respect to Wicklow, when Kilkenny were preparing for Cork, Offaly were doing analysis on the Garden County for their own semi-final.
Now, they're back above their storied neighbours.
Beneath the surface though, more telling signs of potential future journey were perhaps bubbling up.
Using that 2021 season as the launching point, both counties have enjoyed some excellent seasons at U20 level.
In the six finals played in that time, including this year’s, Kilkenny have won two Leinster titles.
They’ve made two All-Ireland finals in that time too, coming out on top against Limerick in 2022.
Cork’s record in the meantime has been similar, winning two Munster titles and converting both into All-Ireland glory, in 2021 and ‘23.
(Sidenote: Technically Cork have lifted three titles since 2021, but the first of those, as Shane Barrett and Alan Connolly helped them end a 16-year wait, was for the 2020 championship with a pandemic delaying it until the following year).
Level pegging at senior level five years ago, and with similar U20 success in the meantime so the question is, just how good have Cork and Kilkenny been at getting players from that crucial underage grade into the senior ranks?
Four teams in all – two from each county – have made it all the way to the All-Ireland final, at least, and it’s worth examining further how the personnel from those progressed further.
Cork – 2021
A quite magnificent Rebel crop from this season with 18 players making it through to senior intercounty hurling in differing capacities after their All-Ireland success.
In last year’s All-Ireland final, Eoin Downey, Ciarán Joyce and Brian Hayes all started while a cruciate ruled Pádraig Power out when it looked like he was going to make a big mark in 2025 campaign. Ethan Twomey played in the 2024 All-Ireland final.
Micheál Mullins, a former U20 captain, has put his hand up at wing-back this season, starting the Division 1 final against Limerick and returning to the squad for Sunday’s Munster win over Clare. Dáire O’Leary looked set for a key defensive role this summer before an Achilles’ injury interfered.
Cormac O’Brien is another player Ben O’Connor gave a chance to.
Brian Keating, Ben Cunningham and the returning Brian O’Sullivan were also included in the 2026 league panel.
Others from that team, such as Sam Quirke, Daniel Hogan and Robbie Cotter, have been in the Cork senior squad previously with Colm McCarthy, Sean Desmond and Darragh Flynn playing Munster Hurling League for their county.
Kilkenny - 2022
It was Kilkenny who took the title off Cork’s hands in 2022 but despite a similar age profile, the volume of player – and the impact they’ve had on the senior team – stands out when compared to the Rebel team of the year before.
That’s not to say that some of the side haven’t made a mark under Derek Lyng, who was U20 manager four years ago when they beat Limerick by a point in the final.
In Saturday’s do-or-die Leinster clash with Dublin, Harry Shine started and Timmy Clifford came off the bench. Billy Drennan surely would have featured only he isn’t involved this term. Geároid Dunne has played a fair bit over the last few seasons, including in the championship arena.
Goalkeeper Aidan Tallis is playing second fiddle to Eoin Murphy – no shame in that – although he did play in Leinster against Galway. Peter McDonald played in the league last year, vice-captaining the side given that county champions Thomastown had nomination honours, per Cats’ tradition.
Ian Byrne was also in the league squad a few years ago while Padraic Moylan played championship at full-back last year.
Niall Rowe and Seán Purcell have appeared in the Walsh Cup.
Cork – 2023
It may only be three years ago, but Cork have already integrated some players from the side that were too good for Offaly at a rocking Semple Stadium.
William Buckley has scored 0-15 in this year’s championship while Diarmuid Healy has already established himself as a regular live starting option.
Mullins, as previously mentioned, started at wing-back in the Division 1 final while goalkeeper Bríon Saunderson is already in his third year with the squad and played some of this year’s Allianz Hurling League.
Darragh O’Sullivan was part of the league squad, as was Ben Cunningham – who was also part of the 2021 panel. Brian Keating also made it into that league squad.
Goalkeeper Paudie O’Sullivan has started for Ben O’Connor’s side in the league this term too.
A pretty impressive return in what has been a fairly small window.
Kilkenny - 2025
Early days, but there’s going to be a lot of focus on the Kilkenny team that reached last year’s All-Ireland U20 final to see if they can seriously supplement the senior team.
Ivan Bolger has fitted into the defence quickly and Marty Murphy has been part of the extended panel for the last two seasons.
Michael Brennan did well in this year’s Walsh Cup too but over the next year it's imperative that many, many more from the squad are prepped to make the jump up.
Last year, former Kilkenny defender Kieran Joyce remarked that "the consistency in terms of churning out players that we used to have is not there. We’re probably relying on the old guard an awful lot more than we should be compared to other counties."
Ahead of that year’s All-Ireland U20 final, Cats’ boss Mark Dowling felt that such scathing criticism of the county’s underage production line was "built on sand".
There’s no denying that such analysis has a stronger footing now, with their recent heavy Leinster U20 final loss to Galway, and defeat to the same opposition in the minor final, just heightening the sense that the conveyor belt is showing signs of creaking.
Down in Munster, Cork are very much aware that Kilkenny’s 11-year wait for the Liam MacCarthy feels like a famine for those in black and amber, but it pales in comparison to the Rebels who last won the All-Ireland in 2005.
Unlike Kilkenny though, they are very much alive in the 2026 race for Liam. And given how they have already cleverly plundered from recent U20 sides, they’ll feel that their old rivals, who have won 13 All-Ireland finals against them in the past, are a long way from making that 14.
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