It is an unhelpful coincidence that the quarter-finals of the inaugural calendar-year National Hurling League have both featured losing teams from provincial finals six days previously.
Kilkenny travel to Cork this for evening's Church & General League encounter hoping, like Tipperary a week ago, to get themselves into some sort of order for the impending All-Ireland quarter-finals.
The Leinster finalists have the added complication of having to play on three successive weekends, a state of affairs tolerated with stoic forebearance by Kilkenny's manager Nicky Brennan, who was one of the framers of the calendar-year proposal.
He and his selectors have made a few adjustments to the team beaten by Wexford's second-half surge. Of most interest, given that two of the other three are injury-related, is the reintroduction of All-Ireland winning forward Adrian Ronan in goal.
Ronan played in the Leinster semifinal against Dublin but dropped back to the bench when Joe Dermody regained fitness. Dermody now pays the price for a somewhat hesitant performance against Wexford - the effect heightened as always by the flawless exuberance of Damien Fitzhenry at the other end - and a lack of tactical appreciation in his puck-outs.
Liam Simpson replaces the injured Eddie O'Connor at corner back and Canice Brennan comes in for the indisposed John Power at centre forward. Michael Phelan is picked ahead of Niall Moloney in the corner of the attack. DJ Carey is listed to play despite a broken nose.
Cork have had their own problems. Off the pitch, the controversy over the re-appointment of Jimmy Barry Murphy and his selectors has created waves but hasn't had any impact on the team because with the level of club activity so high, the county panel has hardly met since losing to Clare in what increasingly looks a very creditable performance in the Munster semi-final.
Injuries have, however, had a major impact. The loss of corner forwards Seanie McGrath and Joe Deane not alone deprives Cork of the pair's lively presence, but also means that an opportunity to check their progress against serious opposition is lost.
Cork's evolution into a summer team was always more likely than Dublin's and consequently tonight's meeting is unlikely to be as one-way as Tipp's win last week. Kilkenny's greater match practise against Cork's less cluttered mindset? The visitors are more settled and should win.
