Cork defender Mark Ellis believes that the step up in the league will help them prepare better for this year's championship.

Last year, Cork were in 1B and Ellis told the Corkman that playing there probably did have an effect on their championship form.

"I think that playing in Division 1B last year maybe wasn't the right preparation for the championship, because there were a few games in which we didn't have to pull out all the stops in order to get a win," said Ellis.

"It's going to be a different story this year, it will be a case of full steam ahead from the word go, because you are going to be under fierce pressure if you don't get a few points on the board after the first two or three games."

Cork take on Kilkenny at Pairc Ui Rinn in the opening match on Saturday night, which will be shown live on Setanta.

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