After another eventful summer we are now down to without question the two best teams in the country. Both Meath and Cork have been equally convincing in their path to the final and there is no doubt about their achievements so far.

They have proved themselves when asked the serious questions throughout the championship and always found the winning response, particularly with strong second-half displays. Both sides have the ability and fitness to play at high intensity for the full 70 minutes and thankfully can mix the long and the short game, playing either style whenever the opportunities arrive.

As two classical footballing teams, I don't expect that we will have the chaotic style of play that we saw in Meath's semi-final with Armagh. Cork also play a more traditional type of game and that should ensure a fluid and open encounter, which I suppose we badly need at this stage. The skill of both sides also comes down to their economy of effort in making the ball do most of the work. They also play with a more direct style of medium and long range kick-passing as opposed to being obsessed with keeping possession and playing the short game like some other teams.

The success of both teams so far has been largely based on tough and close marking within the defence, with each player working for one another. When one defender is exposed there is always another to close down the gap, showing excellent understanding between the players and creating this unselfish style of play in both back lines.

From a tactical point of view, therefore, the key match-up will be at midfield. We felt in Kerry that we had a clear advantage over the Cork pair of Michael O'Sullivan and Nicholas Murphy because they were an unknown quality. Yet they surprised a lot of people when they completely out-played the Kerry pair on the day. There are no frills about their play, it's just a question of sending good ball into the scoring forwards and then defending when they need to.

But here they are coming up against John McDermott and Nigel Crawford, so I imagine there will be more space around the middle of the field. Crawford is new to the position but has an obvious physical presence, while McDermott's ability to gain possession at crucial times should give Meath the edge in this most important area.

McDermott also has the experience of the last victory in 1996 and he tends to come up with the big play in the important matches. He's playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and I expect him to dominate.

I also believe that Trevor Giles will command his usual role as provider for the Meath forwards. It has reached the stage now where some players will not kick the ball if he is anyway close, and instead opt to give everything to him and let him set up the play. It could be a problem if we see this tactic used too much, but Meath are likely to have a Plan B to fall back on.

Meath will, however, miss Tommy Dowd - their ideal scoring forward and the man for the big occasion as he could always be relied upon to make the important scores. Nigel Nester, Donal Curtis and Evan Kelly will all work hard but are less likely to register the scores. That really leaves the twin attack of Graham Geraghty and Ollie Murphy, with Giles outfield providing the ball.

One problem with the Cork forwards this year is their scoring. There's huge responsibility on t he young shoulders of Philip Clifford to come up with the goods, particularly

from the scoreable frees. Podsie O'Mahony has the ability as well to get into position and score, while Joe Kavanagh will also be very important if Cork are to break down this resolute Meath defence.

Kavanagh has the footballing brain to make the opportunities for himself and his colleagues. Cork also have Don Davis to ensure that gaps appear by roving outfield but with Darren Fay staying close to goals, it won't be easy to finish their opportunities.

There is no real problem in the Cork defence. They are equally tight and difficult to break and we could be looking at a very low scoring game, particularly if the weather is bad.

For Cork to win, they'll need a couple of goals and they certainly have the ability to create the opportunities. However, it's very difficult to see the Meath full-back line completely breaking down. It will take slick, fast movement of ball and man. Any sluggish or slow play will be moped up very quickly by the Meath defence.

I've been very impressed all along by Larry Tompkins's preparations. He's always been meticulous and he's fanatical about his team's fitness. He also instills this great desire to be a winner and some of that will rub off on the team. They don't want the extra pressure of thinking about the double, but they know the expectations more than anyone and I don't think it will be playing on their minds.

You have to give credit to Sean Boylan in the way he consistently gets his team to come out and play with such passion and pace. His greatest achievement has been in creating one strong Meath team after another.

I feel the game will be decided in the last 10 minutes or so and then you're talking about a team that will hold their focus and discipline with the finish line in sight. At that stage, you have to lean towards Meath, not just because of their obvious strength and reliability of players positioned in the spine of the team, but because of their lesser lights, players such as Mark O'Reilly, and Nigel Nestor. They've all showed a willingness to battle when called upon and to me that points to a well-balanced unit. For this reason, I expect Meath to come out on top.

In an interview with Ian O'Riordan