These two teams both emerged as winners of their respective groups and thus there can be few arguments that they have been the best in the competition this year.
That said, they haven’t had things their own way. Kilkenny were held to a draw in that round-robin phase by Dublin at Páirc Lachtain in Freshford and then were forced to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a tumultuous Glen Dimplex All-Ireland semi-final.
Indeed it looked like Seamus Farrell’s charges were about to be dumped out of the competition late on as Kerry led by one and top scorer, Jackie Horgan stood over a free to extend that advantage. The Clanmaurice powerhouse was unable to split the posts however and Danielle Morrissey equalised from a free that she had won herself at the other end to bring the tie to extra time.
Morrissey shot nine points overall, with five of those coming from play in a magnificent performance, as the Cats just edged out their gallant rivals by two points, Caroline Kennedy hitting the decisive goal. Morrissey has recovered from serious injury to be a huge player for the Stripeywomen, offering leadership and senior experience.
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Cork, who already have the Very League Division 2B title in the locker this season, recorded a 100 per cent record from their group phase to earn direct access to the semi-final but Donie Daly and his players would have been under no illusions as to the threat presented by Offaly, having just escaped from the county grounds on Castle Road with a one-point victory.
And though the margin was two goals this time around, that was scant reflection on the flow of the game, Clíona Dooley goaling in stoppage time to offer a skewed version of events on the scoreboard. Cork had led throughout however, with former senior All-Ireland winner and team captain, Lauren Homan leading from the front with a goal and seven points. But they were pushed to the pin of their collar and the verdict was right in doubt until Dooley’s definitive contribution.
Cork are in pursuit of a fifth title and their first since 2018, while bidding to go one step better than in 2022, when they lost to Galway. Kilkenny have won the intermediate championship twice before, most recently in 2016. Their last appearance in the final was in 2021, when Antrim bettered them.
With the seniors also involved, the Reds are sure to have the advantage of a greater support from the terraces which they will hope might be a key ingredient if things are tight coming down the stretch but Kilkenny have already shown the depth of their character and this is very likely to go down to the wire.
