MUNSTER SFC:CORK AND KERRY will meet in the Munster semi-final replay at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday. It will mark a staggering 18th championship encounter between the neighbouring rivals this decade.

Since the qualifiers opened the prospects of teams from the same province playing at a later stage in the All-Ireland series, no two counties have met as frequently and the figure of 17 – and counting – since 2000 is a record for championship contests in a decade.

Cork’s biggest difficulty during this time has been their terrible record against Kerry in Croke Park. Despite a reasonable record in the province of three wins and three draws as against five defeats, Cork have failed to win all six of the teams’ meetings in Croke Park.

One consolation note is that on the previous two occasions, 2002 and 2006, when the Munster clash ended in a draw in Killarney, Cork went on to win the replay in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and it’s now four years since Kerry won at the Cork venue. When last year’s drawn All-Ireland semi-final is included the total number of replays in the past eight seasons has been four, an extraordinary figure given that in the previous 40 years there had been only three draws.

The frequency of the meetings is believed to have been a factor in the declining attendances with last Sunday’s coming in at a respectable 32,204 but some way short of capacity in Fitzgerald Stadium.

There is also the question mark over the worth of winning the match in Munster in the light of Cork’s experiences as the seasons have progressed. Kerry on the other hand have turned their three defeats by Cork in the era of the qualifiers into three All-Ireland final appearances, each one earned by beating their rivals in the All-Ireland semi-final.

In 2006 Kerry actually won the All-Ireland having lost to Cork after a replay in the provincial final.

Cork manager Conor Counihan, who at the start of his second championship campaign is facing into a fifth match with Kerry, is unaffected by the precedent.

“The qualifiers may take some of the urgency out of the situation but I believe a team should go the shortest route possible. We’re in a position where we’re glad to have another competitive game but winning it is important because the scenic route isn’t that attractive!”