Cork v Tipperary: From one perspective there's no pressure on Tipperary going into tomorrow's Munster final in Thurles. They're up against a settled team of defending champions, who have comfortably beaten them in each of the past two years.

But there's more to it than that.

The return of Babs Keating to management has created a yearning for better times and an almost reluctant anticipation that Tipp can put it up to their rivals in this most storied of contests.

There's also the other yearning, which hangs around the great occasion like Banquo's ghost: the plangent need of the hurling season to provide a big match that lives up to its billing. Either way even the most optimistic see these possibilities in terms of a competitive afternoon rather than a match so open it could actually be won by Tipperary.

So far the season has been a relief for Tipp in that they have reached the same stage as last year and are now in the territory where improvement can be registered. It's just so difficult to identify precisely where Tipperary can raise their game to the point where any fall off in form on Cork's part can be meaningfully punished.

To date Eoin Kelly's form has been devastating, both in the quantities scored, averaging 0-14 a match, and the timing and quality of the scores. He has been assisted by puzzling selections on the part of Limerick and Waterford but unfortunately for Tipp tomorrow, Cork not alone are incapable of a disastrous mistake in marking Kelly but also have on the bench Wayne Sherlock, whose tussle with the Mullinahone shooter was a memorable aspect of the teams' qualifier in Killarney two years ago.

Even last year Kelly's total was less than half his current average and a gnawing question has to be where will the team take up the slack if Cork restrict their opponents' primary source to something as mortal as four points from play.

On top of that last year, Cork rattled him to the extent he had a penalty saved by Donal Cusack and missed a few frees. At present such is his quality and form Kelly can't be relied on to make such concessions again but neither can he be fully expected to maintain his stunning statistics against the best defence in the championship. Brian Murphy will mark him but won't follow him if he is shuffled around the attack.

Then there's the uncomfortable coincidence of Cork's strongest line with Tipp's weakest. Much the same happened a year ago and the devastation wrought was instrumental in the match being over by half-time - just as the improved look of the scoreboard in the second half was inspired by drafting in three replacements, two of whom - Redser O'Grady and John Carroll - start tomorrow.

Their second-half eclipse by Waterford in the semi-final earlier this month has prompted similar fears about this weekend. The problem is there are no obvious options on the bench beyond John Devane, the one member of last year's rescue team not to have featured this season.

The other possibilities involve weakening the full-forward line by drawing Lar Corbett or Diarmaid Fitzgerald out the field - even Eoin Kelly had a spin on the 40 last year. This would probably be self-defeating, as part of the reason for strengthening the half forwards is to get a supply through to the inside line.

There's a further problem for whatever Tipp have planned in the area. Ronan Curran's display at centre back against Clare carried no hints of the shaky form that dogged him for much of last year and getting a foothold in Cork's top line mightn't be as practical as even it was 12 months ago.

Once more Tom Kenny and Jerry O'Connor ran relays through the middle and whereas Paul Kelly's return to the sector will boost its scoring potential it will also place a defensive burden on the hard-working Shane McGrath.

Cork's attack features an in-form Joe Deane, who will test Declan Fanning's good start to the season at corner back, and a returned Ben O'Connor who will do likewise to the reborn Paul Ormonde.

Taken all together it sounds like a pessimistic scenario for Tipperary. Maybe, or probably, not all sectors of the field will turn out that badly for the home side but it's even harder to see the pivotal contests swinging around to the point where Cork are unhorsed.

TIPPERARY: B Cummins; D Fanning, P Curran, P Ormonde; E Corcoran, C O'Mahoney, H Moloney; P Kelly, S McGrath; J Carroll, G O'Grady, J O'Brien; D Fitzgerald, L Corbett, E Kelly.

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

Referee: D Murphy (Wexford).