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25th June 2025
04:19pm BST
With Limerick out of the All-Ireland SHC for 2025, it's full steam ahead for Cork, who are now the clear favourites to lift their first title since 2005.
At the bookies they stand at 4/5, with Kilkenny at 10/3, Tipperary 7/2, and Dublin 13/1.
Galway legend, Joe Canning, has admitted that he would like to see the Rebels get it done, particularly for Patrick Horgan, who has played 17 years with his county.
He can relate to the prolific points scorer, as he too had the tag of being the best player without a title, before leading the Tribesmen to the promised land in 2017.
However, he also feels that lifting the Liam MacCarthy does not make anyone less of a player.
Speaking on RTÉ, Canning said: "Honestly, I think if I had 20 quid now I'd put it on Kilkenny. Everybody thinks Cork and fair enough, yes, they are the form team.
"But this Kilkenny team is around for a while and the danger is that they're coming in a little bit under the radar, so that's always a danger with Kilkenny.
"And obviously Dublin, it's brilliant for them, to beat Limerick and have a chance against Cork now in All-reland semi-final. Where else would you want to be?".
While he'd like to see Cork win, he is picking the Cats, who last won in 2015.
He added: "Personally I hope it happens for him because it can't be easy. People with that tag, it's not a nice tag. But there's loads of players down through the years that haven't won All-Irelands, and I think it's an unfair kind of (label).
"I've always said it, if he was playing an individual sport, fair enough. But great players like Ken McGrath, Dan Shanahan, John Mullane, loads of lads in Galway that haven't won All-Irelands that just because maybe they weren't lucky enough to be on a team on a certain year good enough to win - or lucky enough to win in some cases - it doesn't make them out to be any less of a hurler.
"It's an easy tag. It sounds like (a failure). But hopefully they (Cork) are looking good this year so far, but obviously Dublin will have something to say about it next week.
"And obviously Kilkenny and Tipp on the other side, it opens it up, especially with Limerick gone, who were people's favourites and stuff like that."
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