John Horgan on Cork's trip to Kilkenny: Away games will tell a lot about hurlers' form

There are two ways of looking at next Sunday's coming together of Kilkenny and Cork at Nowlan Park.

Ben O'Connor's men will be well rested and at the same time raring to go again after a three-week break since taking care of Tipperary at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. From a Kilkenny perspective, they will be hoping to maintain the momentum that was gained after defeating Waterford last Sunday in a contest that wasn't decided until the 75th minute.

As league fare goes in the infancy months of the season, this was certainly one of the most enjoyable games thus far in the secondary competition and while the Cats nudged the verdict at the death, a draw might have been a more satisfactory outcome.

Waterford were desperately unlucky not to at least gain a draw but Kilkenny will have been very satisfied to come out on the right side of a contest that was fought with great intensity at times.

No doubt, the Cork management will have processed the Kilkenny performance in the aftermath and any time Cork arrive on Noreside, there is that extra buzz of anticipation.

Neither county has been on the podium in the Hogan Stand for quite some time and it could be said that in these two of the big three of hurling counties, a famine is being experienced.

A Cork victory on Sunday will almost certainly secure their participation in the final, while conversely, a Kilkenny win will keep them in the chase.

The Cats had to work desperately hard to finally see off Waterford and they will take plenty from that victory with a team that contained some unfamiliar names and that was without a couple of key players.

This current Kilkenny set-up may not carry the strength in depth that was so evident during the Cody years of remarkable success.

But new players are being integrated into the equation and when it's time for the big tests in Leinster, Derek Lyng is hoping that a combination of the tried and trusted alongside the newcomers on the block will work the oracle.

Cork are entering this game in a very positive frame of mind, unbeaten after three outings with a panel of players that is probably the strongest available for a long time. And it goes without saying that a squad wins the big prizes, not the 15 that starts.

The three-week break would have been used to embellish the fitness levels, a continuation of the strength and conditioning that is crucial now in all counties in a game that the level of physicality has reached new heights.

Competition for championship places is fierce in this Cork squad and Ben O'Connor and his selectors will ensure that continues for the rest of the league campaign.

There will be changes again on Sunday from the 15 that started against Tipp and there will be a new number 11 in the absence of the suspended Shane Barrett for just this one game. 

Seamie Harnedy is the most obvious replacement but there are plenty of options across the entire attack.

OPTIONS

Cork are currently carrying a panel of around 36 players and the management is anxious to give as many as possible game-time. 

Patrick Collins will be wearing the number one jersey in the championship but we might see a change in the last line of defence here. Fr O'Neill's Padraig O'Sullivan might be involved on Sunday, giving him a taste of competitive inter-county hurling in what is likely going to be a testing environment.

The status quo rarely prevails during the league and we could see a number of changes. Plus a look at players in positions not overly familiar to them.

The league is a tool to experiment and it should be used to ensure that newcomers to the panel get an opportunity to be looked at.

Kilkenny are operating without the influential presence of Huw Lawlor at full-back and filling his boots is an onerous task. Darragh Corcoran impressed at number six against Waterford and TJ Reid and Adrian Mullen will be brought in sooner rather than later.

In the past, league campaigns were a forerunner to big championship victory days, a case of being successful in the former leading to far bigger prizes being landed.

In the pecking order of MacCarthy Cup contenders, the Noresiders are not where they nearly always were but Kilkenny will always be Kilkenny, be wary, be very wary.

They will have taken quite a bit from last Sunday's searching examination against Waterford. That victory should bring in a few more thousand to Nowlan Park on Sunday, along with what is sure to be a heavy Cork presence in the stands.

In fact, has any Cork hurling team generated the appeal that this bunch of present-day players have home or away it surely energises them all the more.

Cork have done almost everything right up to now in this league campaign although the perception is that the two most difficult games await, both on foreign soil.

Ben O'Connor wants to win every game and will view this test against Kilkenny, and a week later against Limerick, as onerous, where big questions will be asked and what the response will be.

Kilkenny have freshened up their backroom team with former great Eddie Brennan coming on board and outsiders, Niall Corcoran and Timmy Houlihan adding their expertise.

CLOSE

The Cats may not have been taking home the MacCarthy Cup in recent times but they have not been a million miles away either, losing to the eventual champions over the past four years.

Maybe they were not battle-hardened enough coming out of Leinster and entering the All-Ireland series but in some of those four losses the result could, quite easily, have went the other way.

One can never predict with any degree of certainty what is going to transpire in the league from one week to the next.

Uncertainty is attached to most games, especially in Division 1A where for the most part little divides the sides.

Billy Ryan is a big loss to the Kilkenny attack that no longer carries the heavy artillery of old and Cork's options in that department gives them an edge in a lot of games. Going deep into the league and ultimately winning it was not a hindrance to Cork last season despite the travails of All-Ireland final day.

Win one of those two remaining away games and they'll be 70 minutes from retaining the title.

Kilkenny have momentum from last Sunday but Cork have at this point in time more options throughout the field and a better balance overall.

Let's hope they are fully tested in Nowlan Park, more so than they have been, although Galway did not make it easy for them in Salthill.

It won't be easy on Sunday either but the evidence thus far suggests another step being taken in the right direction.

Cork to march on by a couple of points.