Cork have named an unchanged team for the defence of their All-Ireland title in Sunday's final against Kilkenny. The side that recorded a thrilling and narrow win over Waterford in the semi-final will start again with just a positional switch between Ben O'Connor and Niall Ronan, who are named at left wing forward and right corner forward respectively.

Ronan, getting his first All-Ireland start since the success of 1999, was the one player over whom an injury doubt hovered in the wake of the semi-final, but he has recovered from the hand and shoulder injuries that had threatened his participation. He is the one change from the team that won last year's final against Galway.

It is testament to the consistency of the team that not alone is there just one difference from last year but going back to the 15 that won the first All-Ireland in the current sequence, two years ago, there are just two changes.

Kieran Murphy played last year and in 2004, and his place has gone to Ronan, whereas team captain Pat Mulcahy, who was injured two years ago and unable to play, has played in the last two finals in place of Wayne Sherlock.

The selection is formidably experienced, eight of the players surviving from the successful tilt against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final of seven years ago.

There has been nearly as much change in management as on the field. Three and two years ago Dónal O'Grady was the manager. After he stepped down having returned the county to the top, one of his selectors, John Allen, took over and is now on the verge of personal back-to-back titles as well as the fabled three-in-a-row for the county.

One of Allen's selectors is Ger Cunningham, the former Cork goalkeeper and veteran of three All-Ireland finals against Kilkenny. He says that for all the routine each final is unique in terms of the preparation needed.

"Every year is different. Different players are on different form. Even though we're back here in the same place talking about it, I don't think you can compare Galway last year with Kilkenny this time.

"Looking back at 2004 the whole thing has been reversed. Back then we were trying to stop Kilkenny doing a three-in-a-row and now Kilkenny are trying to stop us."

Echoing a universal theme in both camps, Cunningham claims that the identity of the opposition makes no difference to the motivation and that the attraction of Sunday's final has to do with the status of the two teams.

"I've been involved in situations against Kilkenny where we've gone in as favourites and they've beaten us and they've gone in as favourites and we've beaten them. I know it's old cliched stuff but it's all on the day.

"This year I think the two best teams in the country have come to the final, the National League champions and ourselves as holders. A lot of people might say that it would have been great to have had a Waterford-Clare final or whatever but from our point of view we set our target to get to the final.

"Now we're there within one match of winning this year's All-Ireland and if it's Kilkenny on the other side of the field, we're looking forward to playing them."

In yesterday's issue a reference was made to Dublin player Ciarán Whelan's "alleged blood injury" during Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final against Mayo.

It is accepted that the blood injury was genuine and the player's temporary replacement - like all such blood substitutions - was requested by the referee.

Substitutes: 16 Anthony Nash, 17 Wayne Sherlock, 18 Cian O'Connor, 19 Killian Cronin, 20 Peter Kelly, 21 Kevin Hartnett, 22 Cathal Naughton, 23 Kieran Murphy, 24 Conor Cusack, 25 Martin Coleman, 26 Shane O'Neill, 27 Patrick Cronin, 28 Kieran Murphy, 29 Ciarán McGann.