All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (Liam McCarthy Cup) 2021

No but that Limerick team 3 in a row happened by accident where as Corks current underage success seems part of a sustained long term plan.

Still doesn't guarantee anything but it shows Cork are actually putting thought into how to get back to the top which bodes well for them

Cork doing very well at underage is a very good omen. Similar path to Limerick underage 10-15 years ago which started with a lot of schools success and ended up with a couple of U21 all Irelands. Cork are more dominant now in Munster but still happy that Limerick are producing good teams which should deliver a couple of players each year capable of making the senior team - Cathal O'Neill and Adam English from this years panel are already at the level needed I think

Brian Cody came out with a quote after the 2004 All-Ireland final that always stuck in my mind : "games take on a life of their own" (https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-10093021.html). He meant that all the predictions beforehand about tactics and player match-ups can sometimes have no impact on the game and it goes the way nobody expected.

There is nothing really profound about what you are saying though. It basically means sometimes things turn out different to expected and sometimes they don't. None of us would watch sport if it was any different

He also rubbished the notion that one team can "want it" more than the other

So would you leave 6 backs on 5 forwards for the Limk puckouts? Short puckouts should be easier with an extra man. It's hard to get organised quickly if you've a man running back for each restart: Hegarty isn't exactly going to stand there until he comes! I was at the Waterford game and the thing that stood out was the lack of Waterford players in the Limerick half. It made puckouts dead easy and then the running/possession game inevitable. In my opinion if Cork try the same, they'll be beaten easily. I think they have to go man to man and trust themselves. The only way to win games is have more on the scoreboard than the other team: that's either by stopping the other team scoring or scoring more than them. I think Cork's better chance is to try and outscore limerick. I'm hoping they can't!!

I'm not sure how but I think Cork need to keep Coleman relatively free of marking duties. He was fabulous against Kilkenny but I don't think he will get it so easy in this game. If he marks Cian Lynch, he won't be so available to play good quality ball forward. If he doesn't mark Lynch, Lynch will run the show. I was delighted when I saw Coleman getting the centre back job this year because I thought he'd play a selfish game and sink Cork but I was well wrong! I think the game will be won or lost in the battle between Cork 1/2 backs and Limerick 1/2 forwards. Morrissey, Lynch and Hegarty are formidable operators and I think Limerick have the edge here although both Coleman and OMahony (except for 5 seconds of madness!) were great in the semi. Limerick 1/2 forwards and midfield ODonovan & ODonoghue are a tough ask to run through. So I think Cork's objective should be to get Coleman free to pick good quality passes past these lines and it's Limerick's objective to stop him. Cork need 100% performance whereas I think if Limerick get to 90% they'll be hard to beat.

Can't wait as I found a hen's tooth with Section 303 written on it!!

Cork will do to Limerick what Tipp did in the first half, but sustain it. Limerick are limited skillwise relative to Cork. Cork will run the legs off them imo, and unlike Tipp, have limitless energy. Limerick will be made look like statues imo. They will fall!

People love to spin their own weird narratives sometimes.

Ah you must be taking the mick

Comparing this Cork team to one of soccer's best ever that won multiple trophy's

Forgetting that Limerick batted Cork aside twice already this year, if its competitive at half time on Sunday Ill be happy as a neutral

Only cork could go sixteen years without winning, facing a team going for three in four years, and make me pray to the high heavens that they lose.

Lol at all the Cork hype on this thread.

I think we're collectively a bit above our station assuming that anything we or the media write /discuss could have any bearing on the outcome tomorrow. Both teams will have people ensuring that none of this bar stool talk gets any traction within the team bubble. Both teams will have the other video analysed to death and a plan to win. It'll be down to team performances on the day. Luimneach Abu!!!

I've listened to a lot of previews and podcasts all week and aside from people from the competing counties who'll back their own lads, out of the probably 20+ pundits/journos/ex players I've heard, all but one (Shane Stapleton) have said Limerick will win.

Have Cork people ever been able to do anything under the radar 😀

I'd question if some of the "Cork" posters on here are even from Cork. Been at several hurling matches in Cork this week and the talk on the sideline is that its great to be back in a final, that we are really up against it, but that we aren't without hope. No one I've spoken to expects Cork to win, far from.

For the record, I'd have it as:-

25% chance of big Limerick win

35% chance of narrow Limerick win

30% chance of narrow Cork win

10% chance of big Cork win (highly unlikely but not impossible if the stars aligned, Limerick had a sending off etc)

So I'd have it 60/40 Limerick and think there's a sizeable (25%) risk that Limerick could win well. But doesn't mean my mind isn't wandering off dreaming of a Cork win too....

In my opinion/ experience no hurling match between the top 5 or 6 is ever as certain as you are suggesting. Limerick will probably win, and may well win easily, but to say Cork have less than a 25% chance seems very exaggerated. I've seen less fancied teams than Cork beat bigger favourites than Limerick on many a given day.

Being from Limerick I hope we do the business. But if we didn't I'd be more than happy to see Patrick Horgan win an AI.

Was he just socialising "on the edge"? 😉 No idea if true, these fellas have a lot of crap circulated about them....