Nothing is certain but surely it's Cork’s time?

Few things encapsulate the Irish sporting summer like the All-Ireland hurling final but this year the excitement is at a notch even higher than usual. We may be somewhat removed from the sense of anticipation in our pocket of the west, but even at that the expectation and intrigue surrounding this Sunday's joust between old rivals Cork and Tipperary is hard to escape.

Remarkably, it's the first time the two sides will have met with the Liam McCarthy on the line. The two counties share 58 All-Ireland titles between them – with Cork narrowly shading the split with their 30 to Tipp's 28 – and their rivalry has been one of the defining ones since the founding of the GAA in 1888. Kilkenny's wane in form over the last number of years – they are now without an All-Ireland in ten full seasons – means Cork can see the Cats in their sights at the top of the roll of honour. Six All-Irelands separate them. That might seem a stretch – and a tad presumptuous – that Cork will reel in their Leinster rivals in the coming years. But, if they get over the line on Sunday, it feels as though Cork may go on to dominate for five or six years.

There are plenty of reasons to suggest that they can prosper in the years ahead. They have a team brimming with youthful enthusiasm following their success at under-20 level in recent times. In the last six editions of the All-Ireland under-20 championship, Cork have lifted the silverware on three occasions. Yes, there is an expectation and sometimes a reliance on the experience and wizardry of Patrick Horgan at corner-forward but Alan Connolly is only 23, Rob Downey 25 and Tim O'Mahony, who hit two goals in the semi-final win over Dublin, is still only 28. They have an age-profile that points to a team that is about to peak. They are managed, too, by someone who knows how it all works. Pat Ryan has an All-Ireland medal from his playing days with the Rebels, but what has impressed most this season has been how he has shaped the narrative, from their side at least, around the so-called 'hype train'.

Cork have an enormous support that tends to generate a lot of talk in the lead-in to big games. That support is something other counties would love to have, yet on occasion pundits have suggested that it has a negative rather than positive impact as expectation levels rise. One doesn't get the sense that it is an inhibition for them, however. They've managed it well so far this year and surely, as players trying to climb a summit that hasn't been reached in a generation, having that amount of goodwill behind you is more of a positive than a negative.

Cork certainly aren't playing like they feel the heat coming on either. If there was a pressure of that ilk and a weak mindset within the group, they may have wilted following their mauling at the hands of Limerick in Munster. Instead, they turned around to beat John Kiely's team in the Munster final. And they followed that with an authoritative dismissal of Limerick's conquerors, Dublin, in the All-Ireland semi-finals. Indeed, the manner of that victory underlined Cork's championship credentials. That ruthlessness in clocking up seven goals reflects a team determined not to allow this chance slip. They'll need all of that muscle against a Tipperary team this weekend that is truly rejuvenated.

A trip to Tipp always brings a special sort of feeling; it's a county with a rich GAA tradition (it is where the association was founded all those years ago, of course) and Semple Stadium remains one of the great sporting venues on this island. They've drawn on that tradition this season and the whole Tipperary operation looks reborn this year. They had to endure some dreadful years in the last decade or so and, last year, supporters voted with their feet. As they went through last year's round robin campaign in Munster without a win, Tipp's support plummeted and this was particularly apparent in a game against Cork in Thurles, where red jerseys significantly outnumbered blue and gold.

That clearly stung, because Liam Cahill has been eager to use his voice this year to call on the Tipperary supporters to row in behind the team again. And they have, not just because of Cahill's word but more so because the team has started to deliver.

Impressive on their way to a league final, Tipperary's season really sparked into life with a dramatic defeat of reigning All-Ireland champions Clare in Ennis. The steel they showed on that sunny May evening to withstand the Clare comeback and win it in their back yard underlined one important point: Tipp have steel.

It was also evident in Páirc Uí Chaoimh where the visitors battled gamely against the Rebels in the round robin section, despite having Darragh McCarthy sent off before the game even got going.

They're going to need that on Sunday in what promises to be a raucous atmosphere on Jones' Road. This is a rivalry dripping in history and the fact that it's the first-ever All-Ireland final between the two counties only adds to the occasion. But, on a basic level, the real focus for Tipperary on Sunday has to be to get off to a fast start. Cork have, in several matches this season, displayed an eagerness to bury the opposition in the early stages. They do this by going for goals, primarily, and Tipp also have a sense of adventure about them when the opportunity to hit the net presents itself. The first 15 or 20 minutes, then, will be crucial for Tipperary as they try and bring the game to Cork.

Tipp won't be overawed and, after all, their last All-Ireland was in 2019 and there hasn't been near as much talk about them this year as there has been about their opponents. That could well give Tipp a significant advantage heading to Dublin this weekend but it's still hard to escape the feeling that this is, finally, Cork's time.