Combative Clare to bring best out of champions

Cork v Clare  PreviewThe forecast of a Cork-Kilkenny All-Ireland final started long before the present season and nothing the championship has produced so far has shaken that drear expectation.

Clare's emergence as the lone Munster team left to throw a spanner, a hurl, or if needed a head in the works is a testament to the diamond pit of bravery and the deep hurling instinct that lies within this team.

Given the fortitude they have shown post-Loughnane, Clare deserve to be regarded as an ageless rather than an ageing team. Their steady return to the semi-final promises a mouth-watering culture clash between the Banner's renegade spirit and Cork's implacable and at times beautiful hurling machine.

Cork are the heaviest of favourites, the bookies offering 3 to 1 on the defending champions, a reflection of the general mindset that the only counties capable of beating Cork or Kilkenny are one another.

Forming the unfashionable half of tomorrow's equation will suit Anthony Daly just fine and the Clarecastle man has been happy to play up Cork as the land of honey and riches. At the quarter-final stage last year, Clare took Kilkenny to the edge in a highly tactical replay, and privately Daly must be convinced Cork can be conquered.

In beating Waterford (twice) and Tipperary, Cork have progressed through the championship without ever really exploding. What looked like being a handsome Munster final victory was tempered by Tipperary's storming comeback in the second half, a performance that cast Cork in a slightly less invincible light. They were imperious against Waterford in the last 10 minutes of the quarter-final in Croke Park.

But the flat performance of the half-forward line and the controversy over a boot-logo deal involving Niall McCarthy and Kieran Murphy was a distraction for manager John Allen. And the play of the two billboards on the day suggests the beverage in question does nothing for one's hurling.

Murphy has been brought out to the wing, with the speedy and efficient Ben O'Connor fronting the Cork attack along with the lightning Joe Deane and Brian Corcoran, the fulcrum. The engagement between the mighty Corcoran and Brian Lohan on the edge of the Clare square is worth the admission price, but for Cork, it is imperative that Niall McCarthy rediscovers his searing running game.

If McCarthy does start well on Seán McMahon, Clare could pull back the likes of Alan Markham or Diarmuid McMahon. The risk in that is that Cork's rampant half-back line would have even more space to boss the game, as they did against Waterford when it mattered. Another feature of that game was the prodigious distance frees John Gardiner landed from around his half-back line, a weapon that could make the Clare half-forward line think twice before fouling.

The 1-08 from play scored by McMahon, Tony Carmody and Alan Markham against Wexford was, however, significant. If they can reproduce anything like that tomorrow, it would sound alarm bells for Cork.

Clare are not especially quick but they have some huge forwards. Another minor worry for Cork is the defensive form of Ronan Curran, who was taken for four points by Waterford's Séamus Prendergast.

Clare need a big day inside from Niall Gilligan. The thunderous Diarmuid O'Sullivan found (like Brian Lohan before him) Michael Webster hard to handle during Tipperary's second-half renaissance. And though The Rock can be an inspiration at times, it will be interesting to see if his famous temper is tested by what will undoubtedly be a full-throttle approach from Clare.

Cork's low-key progression this far brings with it slight questions over their form but the great trait of this team has been their tendency to produce class under pressure. Clare's finest asset has been their enduring capacity for rescuing recent seasons from the bleakest of beginnings.

Cork's pace and the fact they have so many players in their prime gives them the edge. But Clare have worked up momentum and have the psychological and physical wherewithal to seriously trouble the champions on what is the first keynote afternoon of their title defence. A massive electric surge from Clare could see Cork fold but the probability is it will jolt them into responding with an elevated performance.

CORK: D Óg Cusack; B Murphy, D O'Sullivan, P Mulcahy; J Gardiner, R Curran, S Ó hAilpín; J O'Connor, T Kenny; K Murphy, N McCarthy, T McCarthy; B O'Connor, B Corcoran, J Deane.

CLARE: D Fitzgerald; F Lohan, B Lohan, G O'Grady; D Hoey, D McMahon, G Quinn; C O'Connell, C Lynch; D McMahon, T Carmody, A Markham; B Nugent, N Gilligan, T Griffin.

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).