Kilkenny's JJ Delaney envisages this Sunday's showdown with Tipperary as being even tougher than last year's All-Ireland SHC final victory for the Cats.

Brian Cody's men are on the brink of making history this weekend, bidding for an unprecedented five-in-a-row of Liam McCarthy Cups, and All Star defender Delaney knows that the team have it all to prove come the 3.30pm throw-in at Croke Park.

"I think Tipp are the best possible team to face. It's kind of an unusual thing to say, but we won the final last year but I don't know if we were the best team on the day.

"Being 100 per cent honest, looking back on the game, they threw everything bar the kitchen sink at us but they just couldn't get over the line.

"A small little thing built up - the penalty that was or wasn't. But Henry scored the penalty and then Martin Comerford came on and got the goal as well.

"I know it's a fairly unusual thing to say, we won last year but we have a point to prove as well. We were expecting a massive game last year, and we're expecting that and more again this year. They're the form team over the last couple of years, bar probably one blip early on in the year against Cork.

"Since then they've been racking up massive, massive scores. So it's going to be a big challenge for us, but sure that's why we play sport," he added. Tweet

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