The Cork players shouldn't become too consumed by the prospect of rewriting the history books is the advice offered by former dual star Brian Murphy, who was a key member of the last Cork team to win a three-in-a-row of All-Ireland hurling titles. Cork's latest bid to win three All-Ireland hurling titles on the trot revives memories of the last time the Rebel County achieved such a feat in the late 1970s. After suffering a shock defeat to Galway in the 1975 All-Ireland semi-final, Cork bounced back to win three successive Liam McCarthy Cups in '76, '77 and '78. They defeated Wexford in '76 and '77, and completed the three-in-a-row at the expense of old rivals Kilkenny in '78. Former dual star Brian Murphy played every minute of the three finals, lining out at right corner back on each occasion. His advice to the present Cork team is to concentrate on the final and avoid becoming caught up in the three-in-a-row talk that has consumed the county ever since last year's All-Ireland triumph over Galway. "There's always a danger that the players will become preoccupied with winning the three-in-a-row and forget about the task in hand," he says. "But I think this Cork team is mature enough not to lose their focus. When our team was going for the three-in-a-row, we looked upon it as just another game we had to win. It was all about winning the All-Ireland, and I think the present team will have the same attitude. "If they manage to win the All-Ireland, they can then reflect on their wonderful achievement. There's no point in talking about history before you've made it. The consequences could be disastrous." Murphy, who also played on the Cork football team that captured the Sam Maguire in 1973, admits that it is difficult to draw comparisons between the team he was a part of and the 2004-2006 version. "You can't really compare the two teams. The game is totally different now to what it was 30 years ago. "Both teams contain great players. We had the likes of Ray Cummins, Jimmy Barry Murphy, Gerald McCarthy and Seanie O'Leary, who were up there with the best ever to play with Cork. The same thing could be said about Sean Og O hAilpin, Ronan Curran and Brian Corcoran. They're legends in their own right. He adds: "I suppose the big difference between now and then is the preparation side of things. The game has become highly professional and the training is now much more intense. We were training at a different level, and it has gone up a good few notches since then. "Another big difference is the amount of media attention the game now gets. We didn't get half the publicity the present team is getting and that brings its own pressures." There have been minimal changes to the Cork team since 2003 and Murphy believes this has been one of their great strengths. "It's an extremely settled team. Pat Mulcahy coming in for Wayne Sherlock in the full back line and Neil Ronan taking over from Kieran Murphy at wing forward have been the only changes to the side over the past couple of seasons. Setanta O hAilipin's departure to Australia was offset by the return of Brian Corcoran in 2004. So, for the past three or four years, 13 out of the starting 15 have been ever-present. "We had a fairly settled team as well, although not to the same extent. The biggest changes were in 1977 when the likes of Dermot McCurtain, Tom Cashman and Tim Crowley were brought in to freshen things up. Justin McCarthy had coached us in 1975, but Fr Bertie Troy was at the helm when we won the three-in-a-row." Brian, who has been domiciled in Kilkenny since 1971, is full of admiration for the present Cork team, and feels their achievements since the dark days of 2002 have been nothing short of remarkable. "Like all Cork supporters, I was totally disillusioned after the defeat to Galway in Thurles in 2002. That was a low-point in the county's history, and led to the players going on strike later that year. With that in mind, I felt it was a great achievement for Cork to reach the All-Ireland final in 2003. "Since then, the team has come on in leaps and bounds, and the players great credit for the way they've turned things around and put the pride back into Cork hurling. There is a special character to this team. They never know when they are beaten as so many teams have found out to their cost over the past few years. They also have skill and ability in abundance and, overall, are a great bunch of guys," he says. The detective garda was hugely impressed by Cork's recovery after they fell four points in arrears in the second half of their All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford. Super-sub Cathal Naughton sparked the Rebel comeback by scoring 1-1 with his first two touches. "The character I've referred to was very much in evidence in the semi-final. After going four points ahead, Waterford should have driven home their advantage but Cork didn't allow them to. Cork don't panic and that's one of the reasons why they've been so successful. They are very hard to beat." For the third time in four years, Kilkenny will provide the All-Ireland final opposition for the Rebels following their defeat of Clare. Murphy knows more about Kilkenny hurling than most and is acutely aware of the threat they pose to Cork's three-in-a-row ambitions. "While Kilkenny aren't as settled as they would like to be, they will still be dangerous opponents for Cork. Remember, Cork stopped Kilkenny from achieving their own three-in-a-row in 2004 and that is a fierce incentive for them. "Kilkenny weren't tested in most of their games this year, but they will still put it up to Cork," he warns. Brian admits that the Murphy household will be divided on All-Ireland final day. His wife Anne is an avid Kilkenny supporter, while his son Brian Jnr won a Leinster minor medal with the Cats a few years ago and continues to play with O'Loughlin Gaels. Indeed, Brian's first All-Ireland hurling final was against Kilkenny in 1972 when Cork succumbed to a second half rally by the Noresiders. Murphy is one of the most decorated players in the GAA. As well as being the holder of one All-Ireland football and three All-Ireland hurling medals, he has won two All-Star awards in both codes. His sporting ability first came to the fore when he won All-Ireland football colleges medals with Colaiste Chriost Ri in 1968 and '70, captaining the team to the latter success. In conclusion, he says: "I'd give Cork every chance as long as they can keep their focus. Anything can happen in an All-Ireland final, but Cork have been in this situation before and I'm sure they'll be able to cope with whatever is thrown at them." Tweet

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