Former Waterford defender Tony Browne says he expects Austin Gleeson to show why he was named last year's 'Hurler of the Year' in Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final against Cork.

Gleeson's form in the early rounds of this year's championship weren't of the same calibre of what he displayed throughout 2016, with a largely anonymous performance against the Rebels in June's Munster semi-final, but four-time provincial champion Browne feels the Mount Sion man will deliver this weekend.

"Times have changed since I won it back in '98 and I just had a brief conversation based around what's going to happen after and just to maybe give him a small bit of advice and tips," he told the Irish Examiner.

"He's handled it pretty well. I mean, he's a very young player, he's only 21 years of age.

"His potential as a hurler and an athlete is just phenomenal really. There's a lot of pressure on him, a lot of pressure every day he goes out. People are expecting unbelievable things from him and I think he's handling it pretty well.

"His first day out against Cork maybe he wasn't playing in an ideal role as a hurler of the year, probably. He struggled and suffered there a little bit… He's level-headed and we're hoping that he will come right at the right time and show on the 13th why he is hurler of the year."

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