Waterford defender Noel Connors believes that Sunday's NHL final replay will be just as intense as the drawn game.

The game only really came to life in extra time, but Connors stressed to the Waterford News & Star that teams have a habit of sussing each other out early on in games.

"It was always going to be a battle. There was a lot of talk last week about systems and who was going to come out on top. I thought it was a fantastic game of hurling and everyone committed one hundred percent. It will be an intriguing battle again next weekend.

"It was similar to the football where Kerry and Dublin were feeling each other out for the first ten minutes and then it let flow," said Connors.

"That's just the nature of inter county hurling and football at the minute. It's trying to analyse it and see who's playing where. There were a lot of nerves in the first ten or fifteen minutes so that was also an element to it."

He added: "The more games for us and them the better. Both of us are quite young and trying out new fellas constantly.

"There's no way to blood a few fellas, the likes of Conor Gleeson who are coming on, than here in front of 20,000 spectators. That's the only way you're going to see if a fella is going to sink or swim."

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