Waterford have many questions to answer

Munster SHC/Cork v Waterford: Tomorrow's Guinness Munster hurling semi-final is the fifth meeting of Waterford and Cork in seven seasons.

That the pairing isn't wearing out the public's interest in the manner that over-exposure to Clare-Tipperary fixtures did is testament to the well-balanced rivalry.

Their Munster final of 11 months ago was the best match of last season and is an obvious starting point for consideration of this weekend's latest instalment. It doesn't make heartening contemplation for Waterford, who begin their defence of the provincial title with major injury doubts about two hugely influential players, Ken McGrath and Paul Flynn.

If McGrath doesn't make it - and manager Justin McCarthy didn't rush him back from injury three years ago - James Murray will go to centre back with Brian Phelan coming in on the wing. Flynn's likely replacement is Paul O'Brien.

Conventional wisdom is McGrath will play, even though as late as last week he was hurling one-handed in a practice match with the county intermediates, but that Flynn may not. Losing one of those players would be a major disruption to Waterford and the prospect of both being absent would wipe out in most people's minds any chance of Cork being beaten.

It's not that Cork are guaranteed to take up where they left off. They're under new management and for all John Allen's credentials and the continuity he provides, successful precedents for taking over All-Ireland winners are hard to find.

They had an indifferent league and whereas no one's going to blame a team for that, there was a commensurate failure to identify new players with the partial exception of Neil Ronan, from the 1999 All-Ireland winning team, whose improved form is likely to see him start tomorrow instead of Timmy McCarthy who hasn't shaken off injury as quickly as hoped.

As a result Cork go into this match with just one other change to the team from last September and but for injury would have been unaltered - a state of reigning contentment matched most recently by Kilkenny four years ago. In that season though the settled selection failed to deliver and was torn up and binned by Brian Cody the following spring.

Pat Mulcahy comes in for Wayne Sherlock whose recovery from injury has come too late for a starting place but who will be on the bench. Mulcahy is an experienced, capable deputy who played very well in the league match against Kilkenny last month but doesn't look to have the pace for John Mullane.

The Waterford corner forward suffered terrible anguish against Cork last year when getting a red card for fouling Brian Murphy. Should they end up in each other's company - as presumably they will - Mullane will have learned his lesson.

In addition there will be a neat symmetry if Flynn fails his fitness test given it was he who rose so magnificently to the absence of Mullane - adding to the latter's motivation.

The problem for Waterford is that there are so many question marks over the team tomorrow. Form hasn't been great in the league and if that can be validly set aside on the same grounds that exonerate Cork, the champions have to respond better to the defence of their title than they did two years ago.

The full-back line that caused such problems last year has been recast with Fergal Hartley redeployed on the square. Allowing that Brian Corcoran suits him better than other full forwards might, it's still a league experiment awaiting a championship road test.

If McGrath starts even a player of his instinctive touch can hardly instantly regain the form of last year. Dan Shanahan and Eoin Kelly scored crucial goals last year. Kelly's playing well but can Shanahan resume the goal scoring exploits of 2004? Even if he plays will Flynn be up to the tempo of the match?

Waterford have a very competitive record in recent years and on their day could answer all of these questions successfully. But there are an awful lot of them and that gives Cork the edge.

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

WATERFORD: S Brenner; T Feeney, F Hartley, J Murray; T Browne, AN Other, E Murphy; D Bennett, E Kelly (capt.); D Shanahan, M Walsh, E McGrath; J Mullane, S Prendergast, AN Other.

Referee: S Roche (Tipperary).

Cork v Waterford Sunday, Thurles 2.30 On TV: RTÉ2