What is it?In an incredible turn-up for the books, Kilkenny will meet Wexford in the provincial final this Sunday - the pair have met at this stage six times in seven seasons.

And?It has been the same result each time. Apparently, it's a blow for hurling that Dublin aren't the ones receiving the beating from Kilkenny this weekend.

The average margin of victory by Kilkenny in those six finals since 2001 has been almost 10 points a game.

In fact, Kilkenny and Wexford played three times in senior fare last season: the NHL semi-final, the Leinster final and the All-Ireland semi-final. Kilkenny won all three easily, and by a combined margin of 40 points.

So what do I need to know?No matter what Brian Cody or anyone else in the Kilkenny camp says beforehand, this Sunday afternoon will probably be a walk in the park, and a rather deserted park at that.

Croke Park will barely be one-third full of its capacity. Hurling fans can be loosely divided into two camps. One lot will be heading to Croke Park on Sunday simply to enjoy watching some of the best hurlers in the game. The other, rather larger camp need a game to have some prospect of being close in order to bother making the trip. They will not be coming this weekend.

So avoid it?Certainly if you are any way squeamish you should steer clear. What's amazing is that the Kilkenny versus Wexford mismatch will probably be the most competitive of the three senior hurling championship matches on this weekend. And that's saying something.

On Saturday, Laois play in Galway, and Antrim - who should be allowed sue the GAA for their treatment in the new intercounty championship - are down in Waterford. Both home sides have the potential to put up huge scores.

If you bet on Waterford and Galway to win this weekend, and Kilkenny to retain the Leinster crown, an accumulator bet of €5 would yield a profit of, erm, 23 cents.

A similar €5 bet on the three outsiders would - apart from turning the world on its head - yield around €22,000.