IT'S NOT THE SIZE OF THE DOG IN THE FIGHT

Backbone of Sunday's finalists cut their teeth in big underage battles and Cahill's pack have shown no fear of being labelled underdogs

- BY PAT NOLAN

STRONG underdogs in an All-Ireland final against a Cork team that has already wiped the floor with you earlier in the year? Liam Cahill has been here before.

Moreover, so have several of his Tipperary players - and a large number from Cork that he will plot against this Sunday.

Much like with the senior grade now, in 2018, Cork had gone 20 years without an All-Ireland under-21 title but the overhaul of their underage system was beginning to bear fruit as they romped to the Munster title that year, their first since 2007, beating Tipperary by 13 points in the provincial final.

In the last year of the under-21 grade at inter-county level, however, the four provincial finalists in Munster and Leinster crossed over for the All-Ireland semifinals.

Cork hardened their status as Championship favourites by beating Wexford by 22 points, while Tipperary got past Galway to set up a rematch with them in the All-Ireland final.

"This is one of the best underage teams to come out of Cork and that's well known and well documented," said Cahill (right) ahead of that final.