But after all that, are Limerick ready?

Are they really ready? For Kilkenny?

Brian Cody's Kilkenny? On the biggest stage of all?

They've come through most of the preceding tests with flying colours. Losing the Munster final, which was seen as a blow at the time, can now become an additional source of motivation. The fact remains that for all the hurling they've done and all the excitement they've engendered, Limerick still have no silverware to show for it. Lose today and, unlike in 1994 and '96, they won't have even a provincial title to point to for their efforts. Like it or not, they'll be in the same boat as Clare, Galway, Tipperary and Wexford.

For all the minutes that Limerick have hurled of late, moreover, don't forget that Kilkenny have years of All Ireland combat on their clock. Don't forget besides that though the road the McCarthy Cup holders have travelled here was pothole-free apart from 60 minutes against Galway, they also have a parallel domestic road they're accustomed to travelling. Kilkenny have 12 senior teams contesting the leanest and most competitive club championship in the land. Ballyhale Shamrocks are the All Ireland champions yet, apart from the semi-final epic against Toomevara, the toughest match they were involved in over the last 18 months was the county quarter-final against Carrickshock.

Kilkenny clubs have played five highly competitive rounds of their league championship since May; their Limerick counterparts, understandably, have only played one round of their championship.

The hardening that the Kilkenny players lack in a national context they receive by the spadeful at home annually.

Another thing about the champions.

The three iconic Kilkenny forwards of the modern era, the men who took over from famed predecessors like Mattie Power and Jimmy Langton, are Eddie Keher, DJ Carey and Henry Shefflin.

Henry is the only one of the trio who has not captained the county to win the All Ireland. Kilkenny would love to rectify this omission, for they have their own pecking orders and sidebars of success on Noreside. The prospect of crowning Henry a true king will drive a successstuffed county even further onwards.

This is Limerick's third All Ireland final appearance in 14 seasons. On the law of averages they'll hardly lose three out of three, you might say. But averages mean nothing in this regard for, Mark Foley apart, today's is a far different team from that of 1996. That said, Limerick will surely have learned lessons from their double heartbreak of '94/96.

Such wisdom should stand to them.

The challengers' greatest strength is precisely that. Their strength. They're big enough and bold enough to stand up to the favourites. The only team to have beaten Kilkenny in a game of any consequence in nearly two years are Waterford, in the National League final back in April. The only team to have beaten Waterford in a game of any consequence this year are Limerick. One reason for the outcome of the league final was that Waterford are as good in the air as Kilkenny are. The same can be said of Limerick, who with Stephen Lucey, Brian Geary, Ollie Moran and Brian Begley down the middle have the fitness, the power, the physique and sufficient hurling to face down the champions Mental resolve now becomes the crucial factor for the underdogs. Every psychological obstacle has to be faced up to, embraced, rationalised and used to optimum advantage. Wiring Limerick to the moon in the dressing room beforehand amid a whirl of ash splinters and mad language is a non-runner. Only their minds can set them free.

Kilkenny have another ingredient in their locker, however. Cuteness, ringcraft, call it what you will. It's in their genes, part of their DNA. Most opponents start off with great intentions against them but simply cannot sustain their resolve for 70 minutes.

Kilkenny are like champion boxers; they're able to change their approach in mid-game, usually in the second half when they suddenly create space up front and leave none at the back. The other team's selectors, caught flatfooted, look on helpless. Ask Galway.

Here, then, is the area where the Limerick management must earn their corn.

Have they thought everything through fully? Have they distilled the what-ifs down to the point of absolute exhaustion?

Opposition managers have to visualise every possible scenario, every last detail, that Kilkenny might throw at them and plan accordingly.

You have to rise to the challenge of outthinking Kilkenny. You have to look them in the eye and refuse to blink first. No fear.

Do all this, achieve your personal best in every aspect, lose the match nonetheless and that's alright. But fail to plan every last detail and the regrets will follow you all the days of your life. Limerick have done nearly everything right this year to date, but nearly will not suffice today. By the same token, being a breath of fresh air, as he has been throughout the summer, will not suffice for Richie Bennis.

We've become acquainted with the passionate Richie. Now the thinking Richie, a man who can lead his off-field team as well as his on-field team, will be required to show himself.

Limerick must stop the cogs in the champions' machinery clicking into gear before they start. That will mean clamping down on Cha Fitzpatrick, the man who provides the link between their backs and their forwards. It will mean realising that even the smallest Kilkenny backs . . . Noel Hickey and Tommy Walsh . . . take no prisoners. It will mean Ollie Moran and Brian Begley doing more than merely breaking even up front (and why shouldn't they, given their size and ability? ). It will mean being wise to the movement of Shefflin and in particular Martin Comerford, who won't keep to their own patch the way Moran and Begley must and who'll pay a visit to Damien Reale and Seamus Hickey at some stage, probably very early on. The underdogs will have to keep both eyes on this pair and find another one for Eddie Brennan and the rest, including the 'serious' impact sub Richie Power.

It will also mean, first and last and all the way, ensuring that their own full-forward line is their first line of defence. The challengers' forwards and midfielders must prevent quality ball being supplied to Kilkenny's inside line. Fall down there and Limerick's goose will be cooked.

Discipline will be equally vital.

While I can visualise Andrew O'Shaughnessy causing Jackie Tyrrell plenty of problems, Kilkenny have any number of backs they can switch over if necessary . . . and, unlike Waterford, they will. Limerick needed five goals to win the semi-final; they'll need at least three in order to win here. It all leads back to Moran and Begley and how well they lead the attack. They hold the keys to the kingdom.

The McCarthy Cup holders have a greater spread of forwards who can score. Shefflin and Comerford will break lots of ball for their colleagues. Kilkenny move their forwards around like chess pieces, waiting for an opening, a lack of concentration, a moment of defensive weakness. Then they pounce. It's almost automatic by now. Limerick will have to cover every move for every minute.

If the champions do have an Achilles heel it may lie in their very success under Cody. So many victories, so many titles, so much road travelled. Do Kilkenny still have the stomach for coping with really hungry and aggressive opponents?

How will they react if Limerick get in their faces and prevent them controlling proceedings the way they're accustomed?

Limerick, a big team with a big heart, have a huge chance. Given the multiple twists and turns of Championship 2007, a draw would be no surprise. In the end, though, the challengers may lack a little when it comes to ringcraft and street wisdom. Kilkenny to retain their title on the day that Henry Shefflin is crowned the new king of Noreside.