KERRIGAN TO GET THERE AGAIN
Waterford v Cork Fraher Field, tonight 7pm
PAUL KERRIGAN accepts Cork aren’t the force they were but he is confident the Rebels will rise again. “We would have felt last year, after looking at the figures, that we weren’t up with the top four teams,” said the 30-year-old. “It is not a slight on anyone, we just weren’t there. Last year, there were something like 12 lads who played Championship but played no league. Lads were breaking down with injury. That hasn’t been the case this year. “The fitness work doesn’t guarantee results but it does give you a better chance. It puts us in a better position. It is up to us to take it from there.” Cork are big favourites to see off Waterford in Dungarvan tonight and earn a home Munster semi-final against Tipperary, who toppled them last year. Kerrigan is optimistic Cork can make an impact in the latter stages of the Championship. He said: “This is my 10th season and, in the first five years, we were the team to beat. “Now we are trying to get up there again. The top four are Dublin, Mayo, Kerry, and either Donegal or Tyrone. We could have had Donegal last year. We’ve pushed Dublin close in the League in recent years. “We are capable of catching one of them on our day. “We’d like to just get back to the August Bank Holiday weekend and push on then to the semi-finals, just challenging the top four and seeing where we are at.” VERDICT: Cork