If tomorrow's Guinness All-Ireland hurling final appears a little unexciting compared to the decade drawing to a close, the complaint is superficial when set beside the abilities of Cork and Kilkenny as demonstrated this season.

Kilkenny have had an exceptional campaign, and with their profusion of goals have earned the distinction of being slight favourites with the bookmakers, whereas Cork have turned back the clock with a succession of surprising results from a young team which has improved steadily.

That the counties' previous finals can be advanced as a factor for tomorrow's match is not mere superstition, but neither does it reflect an immutable relationship between Cork and Kilkenny. It is significant the number of times Cork have lost to Kilkenny when they were strongly fancied to win.

Frequently the problem has been that the fancied team suffers too little inhibition. After all the experience which suggested that Kilkenny should be taken seriously seven years ago, there was still an air of levity about Cork - some players waving to the crowd - which suggested that history wasn't weighing on them even as heavily as it should have.

The process hasn't always been one-way, and the famous 1966 final showed that Cork could spring a surprise as effectively as Kilkenny.

The point of all this history is that it teaches us that the counties learn nothing from history. Teams have a tighter focus when the mood of expectation is against them and, commensurately, a looser focus - often despite their best intentions - when they are regarded as likely winners.

One Kilkenny man could be heard stating that the county's attack would "destroy" the Cork backs. This wasn't the bragging of a jackass, it came from someone who normally observes the dictates of rationality. Such is the danger. A goal-spree such as Kilkenny have enjoyed this summer makes detached analysis difficult.

Having set the scene as to how Kilkenny are vulnerable, we might now examine why Cork can win and why they are expected here to do so.

There can be no doubting the power of Kilkenny's performances to date. They trimmed Offaly with nearly the same facility as they did Laois. In the semi-final against Clare, they eyeballed the team which has been the hardest to beat in hurling over recent seasons and edged them out in a tight finish.

The only downside of the performances was the first half against Clare. Whereas the forwards have been cracking in goals, the defence has been held up to less favourable scrutiny. Yet this hasn't always been fair. Goals hide a multitude, but the attack hasn't always been firing on all cylinders.

One Kilkenny source put it bluntly: "If the defence, for all the criticism, had played as inconsistently as the forwards, we'd have lost to Clare."

In a way it's hard to be too critical of the team up front. Ken O'Shea may have been anonymous for most of the semi-final and his marker, Frank Lohan, the star of the Clare defence, but for the few seconds O'Shea was inside his man he scored the opening goal.

The same is true for Henry Shefflin. Marked well for most of the match, and not enjoying the best of afternoons with his free-taking, the Ballyhale man still managed to feature during the closing stages. If judged as a 20-year-old newcomer, rather than as the scoring machine he has been at under-age level, his progress has been satisfactory.

Hidden a little in the middle of the Klondyke has been Charlie Carter's decline this year compared to the last two summers. Maybe he can revive his season, but his marker, Fergal Ryan, hasn't been playing like a man in the mood to facilitate that improvement.

The foundation of the attacking improvement has been the half-forward line. John Power's return has created a physical focal point, Brian McEvoy's workrate and speed have staked him a worthy claim on Hurler of the Year, just as DJ Carey's rediscovered predatory instincts and 5-9 from the other wing have staked a more extrovert claim for the same honour.

Cork's defence, however, has been the best unit in this year's championship. Brian Corcoran might have been slightly overshadowed by Brian Whelahan's epiphany in the semi-final, but no centre back has played better despite a below-par second half in the Munster final. His clash with Power has been deemed crucial, but all around this clash on the 40 Cork have players who have hurled with great style and focus.

Clare, despite looking a tired defence, made life hard enough for Kilkenny so that only two goals went in. It would ill-behove Cork, who have found goal-scoring so difficult, to sneer at those two goals, but the tally seems to represent the adjusted total the Leinster champions can rely on in a tight-marking confrontation.

Centrefield is unusual in that it brings together two pairings which have been inferior on paper to nearly all their opponents this year. Now the pressure will be on for one of them actually to win the sector.

What distinguishes Cork's duo is that Mickey O'Connell is good at reading the breaks and is a fine striker of the ball - which gives the Munster champions a potential scoring advantage.

Given the solidity Pat O'Neill brought to the centre of the defence against Clare, the half-back line played a super second half. That was against the more limited routines of Clare rather than the sheer pace and first touch of the Cork attack. Fergal McCormack has played an intelligent season at centre forward, physical enough to hold his own but smart enough to bring his man places he'd rather not visit.

Joe Deane, sharp and elusive, will pose a major test of Canice Brennan's switch to full back, whereas Seanie McGrath and Ben O'Connor will burst into flames now and again. It is easy to forget that Cork are averaging 14 wides a match. It may be wayward shooting, but it represents an awful lot of chances and no one can seriously rule out the potential for a huge score.

The argument is that the Cork defence is an excellent unit capable of squeezing Kilkenny and that their forwards are uniformly fast and technically assured. Any moments of uncertainty and Cork will exert consistent pressure.

Add in the fact of a young team still uninhibited in their play, with great momentum and the sap rising, and I think we have the last champions of the millennium.