That world class TV channel TG4, treated us to a couple of wonderful Cork vs Offaly clashes on recent Saturday evenings. And how joyous they were to watch. A win apiece was the outcome and, in fairness, justice was done because neither team deserved to lose two epics in successive years.

It was compelling to watch the magnificence of the Offaly veterans in 2000 against the lively Cork greyhounds who had run them off the field in the final five minutes a year earlier. How things have changed. Almost ten years after the first clash, the sides will meet again in championship hurling. It could be an epic of the 1999 and 2000 proportions but only those present at Tullamore will see the action. It may be streamed online but even with the best broadband service, an online game can be choppy. The time has come for RTÉ to screen these games in full at about 3am in the morning. People can set them to record during the night and view them at their leisure the following day.

Offaly have nothing to lose here, just as they had nothing to lose a year ago in Limerick. Cork will not be as disinterested as Limerick were last year, but Offaly have a point to prove after being caught on the hop by Wexford. Offaly and Wexford had met too often in too short a space of time, and as they say familiarity breeds contempt. As an outsider looking in, it’s hard to escape the notion that Offaly are at a disadvantage playing a home game at Tullamore. Birr is the spiritual home of Offaly hurling, and one has to assume that a high proportion of club games involving Coolderry, Seir Kieran, Shinrone, St Rynaghs and Birr are played there. The Offaly players must be used to it.

Unless redeveloped in recent times, the facilities in Birr might not match those in Tullamore. However, if any team was to be discomfited by facilities it might be Cork. There are times when you have to cut your cloth to suit your measure and perhaps this is one of them. Remember in 2005, the Limerick minors walloped their Tipperary counterparts in Kilmallock. The result was a Tipperary declaration that they would never again engage in a home and away agreement with Limerick unless the games were played at the Gaelic Grounds. Claustrophobic venues and intimidating home atmospheres do make a difference.

The big talking point is Aisaki O hAailpin’s duel with David Kenny. The main observation that could be drawn from the recent Na Piarsaigh vs Bishopstown Cork club game is that Aisaki is far more comfortable when the ball is on the floor than when it is in the air. He can win dirty ball on the ground and isn’t afraid to reach out for it with the lámh. However, when the ball is in the air it’s a different matter. Mistimed jumps were a regularity, and when he did time the jump correctly, he didn’t grab the ball cleanly. When the ball was going in low, he was able to stoop low with his long arm reach, grab the ball and turn in the one movement, with his power ensuring that he could subconsciously brush off the full back and leave him for dead on the turn. Perhaps his judgement of the ball in the air might change with more hurling. David Kenny doesn’t mind the high ball though, and injury might have had something to do with Stephen Banville getting the better of him in Wexford Park. It will be an interesting tussle, and it will be very interesting to see the ratio of low ball to high ball that is fed to O hAilpin.

Offaly need to study the video of the Tipperary game and assess exactly how Tipperary discomfited Cork. The answer is in one word... movement. Much is made of Tipperary disappearing out of games, and if afforded the time, it would be interesting to assess if their disappearance is correlated to a reduction in the movement of their forwards. That said, it’s only a matter of time before the opposition adjust tactically as Cork and Clare both did in recent weeks.

Offaly have enough legs in their forward line to discomfit Cork as much as Tipperary did, but these things will only work until such time as Cork react to what’s happening. Therefore, one suspects that Offaly need to hit the ground running and build up a head of steam and hope that they generate enough scores early in the game to give them a platform. Brian Carroll, Joe Bergin and Shane Dooley wreaked havoc on Limerick last year and depending on where they are placed on Saturday can discomfit Cork. Despite the performance of Eoin Cadogan against Tipperary, and the collection of ‘caps’ gathered by Shane O’Neill in the past couple of years, the Cork full back line as a unit is unproven. That said the Offaly players are a ‘wind in their sails’ type of team who can hurl anyone with a bit of momentum behind them.

At 7/2 Offaly are good value in a two horse race. However, a handicap bet might realistically represent better value.

Cork to scrape through