Looking to get back on track

A fully recuperated Tom Kenny tells Gavin Cummiskeythis year has been like no other for Cork's hurlers.

Even Roy Keane is adamant a Cork bias exists in Irish sport. Of course these things tend to work on a karma basis but looking at the litany of grievances suffered by the Rebel hurlers in 2007 this theory has gained further momentum.

Moments after Waterford knocked his team out of the Munster championship on June 17th Cork manager Gerald McCarthy unleashed an attack on the GAA disciplinary system.

The Semple three were suspended and confined to the stand. Niall McCarthy and Tom Kenny had just gone down injured. Brian Corcoran, Pat Mulcahy and Wayne Sherlock have retired. A new midfield combination was required. A new full forward. Untried corner backs. Cork were in disarray.

They regrouped like only they can. Fresh blood was introduced as they entered the qualifier route. Games against Dublin and Offaly followed. The manner of these victories sent out sufficient warning shots. Cork were nearing full throttle again.

Then they were mowed down by a Tipperary team desperate to regain lost pride. On a Saturday evening in Thurles, Cork lost their second championship match of the summer.

The punishment is a rematch with Waterford, the team of 2007 so far, National League champions and Munster champions. A group who have finally attained the mental strength to equal their hurling prowess. Tom Kenny had been a passenger for a number of weeks. In three seasons, alongside Jerry O'Connor, Kenny has formed the most penetrative midfield partnership in the country but he was injured in the Munster semi-final.

The way he sustained the hamstring injury was a mark of the man. The game was all square at 4-11 to 3-14 midway through the second half when Paul Flynn gathered possession 15 yards from goal. Just as he cocked the trigger, Kenny enveloped man, hurley and sliotar before hobbling to the sideline.

He climbed aboard the team bus, missing the traditional walk through the square in Thurles. Team physio Deccie O'Sullivan gave him hope, however. Yet after three years making a name for himself, Kenny was forced to the periphery.

He returned late in the Tipperary defeat with five weeks' recuperation under the belt. Five weeks of rustiness as well so his impact was minimal.

"It was difficult to come into," says Kenny, "I was happy to come on but we were chasing the game at that point."

With Niall McCarthy named on the bench, Cork have recalled their big guns for Sunday. Captain Kieran Murphy is a substitute.

"It's been unlike any other year," continues Kenny. "Normally we reach the Munster final and, win or lose, move straight into the All-Ireland series. Then there has been the change of management and growing accustomed to that and of course the suspensions. Injuries have also been a problem. I suppose after losing to Tipp a few more questions had to be asked."

As Tipperary manager Babs Keating waxed lyrical in the tunnel under Semple's old stand the Cork players dropped off their hurleys before shuffling silently back into an evening's heavy downpour to perform a warm-down. The haunted faces was an intimidating sight.

"We agreed to do a warm-down on the pitch afterwards regardless of the result," Kenny said. "It might have looked strange but there wasn't much to it."

"(The mood) was one of disappointment. It's hard to see where it went wrong. We said after the Waterford defeat that we wanted to win every game. This is another chance at least.

"Waterford would swap the Munster championship for an All-Ireland. Any team would. It's a new championship now."

Three nightmarish visits to Semple are now replaced by a return to Croke Park. The sides have met seven times this century. Twice in Croke Park, 2005 and last year, with Cork prevailing both times.

"The most notable aspect about Waterford this year is when the game is in the melting pot they pushed home. Other years they have faltered. They are also seeing out games they are leading. They've been getting victories down the stretch.

"The games between us are like three or four school kids playing until it gets dark. The most goals win."

There are great memories. The Donal Óg Cusack save, Corcoran's goal. "It all kicked off in 2002." Get ready for chapter eight of the best story in modern hurling.