Tony Considine: I was wrong last week when I said only four of five Cork players would make the Limerick team

What a weekend it was for hurling.

 It started on Saturday afternoon with Clare and Kilkenny. 

This is what I would call 'the warm up act'.

I have to say it was not a good warm up act by any means. 

Both teams were not anywhere near their best and Kilkenny will be kicking themselves over the way they lost this game, especially in the first half, when they ran Clare ragged all over the field, but missed a lot of scoring chances, especially goals, with the Clare goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan bringing off some great saves, and you could nearly say he was taking on the Cats on his own and keeping Clare in the contest. 

But still there should be no excuses for the Cats missing all those scoring chances. 

Kilkenny should have been out of sight at half time, but of course they were not, and sometimes you pay the penalty for that. 

Clare reeling them in in the second half, but still Kilkenny were in the driving seat when the man keeping them at bay in the first half conceded a very soft goal - you could say, he gave them a present, and still, untypical of Kilkenny, they could not drive on. 

Clare began to come into the game with some very good substitutions made by Brian Lohan, added to by some great Banner spirit, to get them over the line. 

But it was not a brilliant display by any means, with a lot of players not reaching their true form. 

Clare could have substituted half of their team, if that was allowed, as they were playing so poorly, but I'm sure no one knows that better than Brian Lohan. 

But they are in the final and that is all that matters to him at this stage, but he has a lot of work to do.

Sunday, the main event - complete contrast to what we witnessed the day before - Cork and Limerick producing a thriller. 

I have to refer back to my column last week when I asked how many of the Cork team would make the Limerick team? 

I said maybe four or five.

I will reverse that here now and ask how many of the Limerick team would get their place on the Cork team? 

I can assure you, after this display by Cork, I do not think many of the Limerick team would make it. 

I know Cork had stars all over the pitch, but the man that set the tone from the start with his very inspirational score, was Robert Downey, making a run up the centre from his defence and scoring a wonderful point. 

That to me set the tone for Cork for the rest of the game. 

Cork played some brilliant hurling, running at Limerick at every opportunity, and scoring at will. 

Harnedy, Shane Barrett and Declan Dalton were causing Limerick all sorts of problems, taking up wonderful positions, pulling the Limerick half back line all over the place, and with Darragh Fitzgibbon dominating mid-field and getting some good scores, and also making scores, Limerick were in big trouble, and with the stadium full of Cork supporters and they enjoying every minute of it, baying for blood, you could feel that this was going to be Cork's day. 

But of course the man that caused the real damage to Limerick was the big man Brian Hayes.

Hayes was taking his man on at every opportunity scoring a goal and four points from play, and with the Cork half back line of Joyce and Coleman, together with Robert Downey, dominating the Limerick half forward line, especially Ciaran Joyce against Gearoid Hegarty, and Coleman dominating Tom Morrissey, Limerick were completely depending on Aaron Gillane keeping them in the game. 

I have to say Gillane was outstanding, and he, more than anyone, brought Limerick back into the game, and Limerick went in up two points at half time. 

In my opinion that was against the run of play. You could see that Limerick were having massive problems with the pace of the Cork players all over the field. 

The writing was on the wall for Limerick.

Cork started the second half in the same manner, still full of running. 

A lot of Limerick tongues were out at this stage and the ship was taking in water big time. But they are not All Ireland champions for nothing, they kept hanging in there and bringing on a few subs in O'Brien and English and O'Donovan - that brought them back into the game, but a great save by Patrick Collins from Gearoid Hegarty was inspirational for Cork, and also the wonderful hook by Ciaran Joyce on Aaron Giillane, proved how tuned in Cork were all over the field.

You need luck in any game and Pat Ryan would be first to acknowledge that, but he did not need any luck in this game as his team was on top from the word go. 

Cork have come into this All Ireland the hard way and Pat Ryan and his management team have paid a crucial role in this. 

He never lost his focus once even when they lost their first two games in Munster. 

He still had belief in his team and he showed that at every opportunity. He believed this performance was in them, and a guy like Pat Ryan deserves to be in an All-Ireland final. 

He is a manager of the highest quality and decency. Players respect that. 

Himself and Brian Lohan are two of the finest people you could meet, neither with an ego of any description - both these men deserve to have their teams in the final. 

It should be a great occasion.

I can't wait for it.