Key Points Ahead of All-Ireland Hurling Final: Cork's Momentum, Ticket Rush, and Hype

TIPP THREAT: The bookies make Cork favourites for Sunday and that's completely understandable. They're men on a mission and their ruthlessness against Dublin reflected that. Cork overwhelmed their great rivals in the league final and Munster group meeting but everything was in the Rebels' favour in those encounters, including home advantage. Darragh McCarthy's red card completely shaped the last encounter. Liam Cahill and his charges learned a huge amount from those heavy defeats, winning five games on the bounce and finishing with the same record in the province as Munster finalists Limerick and Cork. This isn't the same Premier group that was swept aside in April, both in terms of attitude and line-up. Rhys Shelly has replaced Barry Hogan in goal, Ronan Maher and Eoghan Connolly have swapped positions at the heart of the defence, Sam O'Farrell has moved from five to 10, with Andrew Ormond, Willie Connors and Conor Stakelum promoted to starting roles. It's a similar reboot to Cork's last summer after their defeat to Waterford. They've their own potent goal threat, raising 15 green flags this summer to Cork's 17. They stitched four goals to take down Kilkenny and that was without Jake Morris, their best finisher, hitting the net. They'll be very confident they can cause issues for Niall O'Leary, Eoin Downey and Seán O'Donoghue, an area Clare also targeted last year. They've a potent blend of youth and experience, with John McGrath and Jason Forde back to their best.

ONE MORE STEP: Once the dust settled on last year's All-Ireland final loss, Cork had their sights set on July 20, 2025. Every move they made in the offseason, refreshing the panel with Diarmuid Healy being the main beneficiary, and across the league, where their consistency saw them beaten just once, was about championship. The primary aim was to get back to Croker, though a first Munster title in seven years was a bonus. Now Pat Ryan's side are one step away from atoning for last year's near-miss against Clare. They only fell short by one after extra time 12 months ago but there are plenty of Rebels with points to prove. Cork were outgoaled 3-1... too open when Clare ran at them, outmuscled at the other end. The likes of Shane Barrett, Darragh Fitzgibbon, Declan Dalton and Alan Connolly will know they're capable of far more this time.

TICKET FRENZY: The last time Cork reached successive hurling finals, making four in a row from 2003 to 2006, the annual scramble for tickets was part of the experience. Even in those halcyon days though, the Rebels weren't selling out regular games in Munster or All-Ireland semi-finals. Cork hurling, despite the host of crushing setbacks in the modern era, has never been more popular. It's terrific to see so many families, teens and young adults flocking to get behind Pat Ryan's side and considering there was the bones of 65,000 Leesiders in Croke Park against Dublin. There will be a lot of disappointed supporters this Sunday. Tipp, more so than Kilkenny, will be out in force at Croke Park as well, making it even more difficult to secure access to the main event. The Cork County Board will be criticised in many quarters for how they handle the distribution of their allocation but it's absolutely impossible to get close to satisfying the current demand.

BELIEVE THE HYPE: The rest of the country have been very eager all year to tell Corkonians how they should act. They've been cautioned not to get too carried away with any victories because all that matters is lifting Liam MacCarthy and warned about the 'hype train' derailing. But championship campaigns are shorter than ever so no one should be afraid of enjoying the ride. Whatever the result this weekend, it's been another epic summer.

According to the source: echo live.