Tipperary will be attempting to join camogie's elite four-in-a-row club when they take on the formidable challenge of Cork in the All-Ireland senior championship decider in Croke Park tomorrow.
The four-in-a-row factor does not put Michael Cleary's team under additional pressure. Cleary, a former Tipperary forward, says: "Our policy has been to take it match by match, not only this year but since our first successful championship campaign back in 1999. We focus on the business in hand and nothing else."
A settled panel of players - Sunday's starting line-up shows only one change from last year's side - and an equally settled backroom team (the same as that in 1999) are vital components in Tipperary's winning formula.
Tipperary may, however, in contrast to other years, have to start as underdogs if league form is to be taken into account, but Cleary rejects the notion that this will be significant.
"We were never a league-loving team. Our primary aim is the championship. It's difficult to always have a full-strength side during the league campaign, what with exams and other consideratons."
The Tipperary boss feels successive defeats by Cork this year in the league and Munster semi-final will have no bearing on tomorrow's game. "They beat us by two points in both cases but I would wager that if we were to play 10 times the result would be 5-5. We are that closely matched."
If Cork are to win the O'Duffy Cup for the first time since 1998, they must first find a way around Tipperary's staunch half-back trio of Sinéad Nealon, Ciara Gaynor and Terese Brophy. By the same token, Tipperary will have a major task in coping with the attacking skills of Cork's Fiona O'Driscoll, who has notched 5-17 so far in this year's series.
Emer Dillon, Jenny O'Leary and Caoimhe Harrington are also poised to enhance Cork's scoring rate. But the most onerous of defensive tasks is bound to rest on the shoulders of Cork full back Eithne Duggan, who has the unenviable job of watching the most dangerous Tipperary forward of all in Deirdre Hughes.
Tiperary's half-back trio look capable of laying the foundations for a narrow win.
Early arrivals at headquarters should be well rewarded by what promises to be a close Junior final between Cork and Kilkenny.
TIPPERARY: J Delaney; P Bulfin, U O'Dwyer, C Madden; S Nealon, C Gaynor, T Brophy; S Kelly, A McDermott; P Fogarty, N Kennedy, J Ryan; E McDonnell, D Hughes, C Grogan. Substitutes: L Ryan, F Hayden, L Young, S Howard, T O'Halloran.
CORK: G Casey; J O'Callaghan, E Duggan, S Dunlea; P O'Connor, M O'Connor, G O'Connor; V Harris, E Burke; L Mellerick, E Dillon, J O'Leary; U O'Donoghue, C Harrington, F O'Driscoll. Substitutes: A Murray, R Moloney, S Hayes, O O'Sullivan, D Cronin.
JUNOR FINAL
CORK: E Clifford; J Browne, L Sweetnam, N Bowles; C Foley, N Ahearne, M Holland ; V O'Keeffe, V O'Farrell; C Desmond, C Kelly, G Collins, A Murphy, E McCarthy, M Watson. Substitutes: D Twomey A O'Neill E Foley B Corkery S O'Donovan.
KILKENNY: C Ryan; E Connery, A Young, E Lyng; P Comerford, M Lawlor, K Kinahan; E Maher, E Aylward; M Ryan, D Lanagan, J Frisby; C Doherty, A Neary, M O'Connor. Substitutes: A Fitzpatrick, F Dowling, U Walton, B Grennan, N Sutton.
All-Ireland Final
Cork v Tipperary
Croke Park, tomorrow, 4.30
On Television: Network 2
