NICKY ENGLISH HURLING ANALYST:Waterford will need to improve and match Kilkenny's incredibly high intensity levels to have any chance of a famous victory

TO SAY the All-Ireland final is a high-stakes game is to state the obvious, it's just the stakes are particularly high tomorrow. For this Waterford team it's the first and possibly last shot for glory.

For the Kilkenny team it's the chance to become part of history by winning three titles in a row. In both cases, there's so much to play for.

It also makes the game one of the more anticipated hurling finals for a while. I'm certainly looking forward to witnessing the abundance of talent both teams contain; teams that have proven themselves the two best teams in the country over the last two seasons.

The other intriguing aspect to it is outside of the Kilkenny supporters, practically all the neutrals would like to see Waterford win, especially for the likes of Ken McGrath and Tony Browne. Waterford have been through so much to get this far, nearly 50 years of build-up you could say.

Still, Kilkenny are the raging hot favourites with the bookmakers. You'd have to wonder if that would have been the case last year had Waterford made the final. I think Waterford would have been a lot closer in the odds.

So the first thing to say about Waterford is they're not going in without a chance. Call it a dream scenario, if you want, but it's possible to come up with a set of circumstances where Waterford could come through for the victory. Like if they stay with Kilkenny up until the final 10 minutes, because of their physique and unquestionable talent, if they get the game of the season from a few more of their top players, if the whole blue and white tide of emotion pushes them towards the finish line, and particularly if Kilkenny succumb to any increasing nervousness.

Croke Park has witnessed some unforgettable tide of emotion stuff in recent years, such as the Armagh footballers in 2002, and the Clare hurlers in 1995, and if Waterford can find that tomorrow, find players responding in a way they didn't think possible, then you just never know what might happen.

What that means, however, is Waterford will have to produce their absolute best form, as good as 2007, whereas Kilkenny will have to drop back quite a bit from the form they showed against Cork in the semi-final.

So that's the dream scenario.

The reality is Kilkenny are ultimately the team better equipped to win. Logically they should win, and I believe they will win. But they're going to have to earn it, that's for sure. Unlike last year, when the result was never in doubt after the first 10 minutes, and when even though their main leaders were off injured, they still coasted home.

I would love to see it go down to the wire. And if Kilkenny do win the three-in- a-row then the hurling world will know they'll have deserved it.

Looking closer at Waterford's prospects, the story of the season has centred on Justin McCarthy leaving, and Davy Fitzgerald coming in. They completely reformulated things and got to the final, but in terms of their actual hurling, the story has been of a group of players have been at the peak of their powers, such as John Mullane, Eoin Kelly, and Eoin McGrath, and another group who have been consistently below their peak.

Obviously, they'll need the first group to stay at peak level, but will also need the other group to come up to it. In other words, Dan Shanahan, Michael Walsh, and also Seamus Prendergast and Stephen Molumphy, who were all key players last year, will need to raise their game significantly.

That could be seen as a positive that they've actually reached the final without ever getting the top game from everyone. And for say Walsh and Molumphy, there is an improving trend. It's crucial though that they deliver this time, as Shanahan, Prendergast and Molumphy are all in the half forward line and Kilkenny's real dominance in recent years has been coming from their half back line, along with midfield and their half forward line.

So Waterford, in particular, really need to compete on that half line, they need to turn Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan and JJ Delaney, back towards their own goals. The only way to keep that pressure on is with ferocious tackling, and constant pressure on the ball.

The end result of that would be a limited supply to the Kilkenny forward line.

Michael Walsh is just as vital at midfield, and so too is the half-back line, because these are going to be the vital battles. That middle diamond of the field is where Kilkenny are so strong, and Waterford will have to compete with that, at full intensity and for the full 70 minutes, and not just in the patches they've shown so far in '08. I just wonder are they capable of that.

Earlier in the year I felt Kilkenny might prove a little vulnerable, given all the talk about the three-in-a-row, and perhaps some fatigue as well. Their league form was also patchy. We knew they'd make the semi-final, at least, and then every word I heard coming from the Kilkenny camp after the Cork semi-final was that the players were never more ready for a game.

They expected a huge battle, and they played that way. The intensity level they applied, particularly in the 20 minutes before half time was just incredible and, to be honest, as good as anything I've ever seen. Not just that, but it was intense hurling with great clarity of thought and use of the ball as well.

In the end, it appeared to me they beat Cork with something left in the tank. If they hit that level again tomorrow, no team would live them, simple as that. The only difference is that, going into the Cork match, everyone expected Kilkenny to be given a huge game, given Cork's magnificent victories, and battle-hardened background.

Kilkenny's will to win that day was immense, and the difficulty for Brian Cody now is to replicate that. Who knows what motivational tools he has come up with, but it has probably not been as easy for him.

Winning this three-in-a-row means a lot to him, no question about that, and it's not the first time he's tried. He can say it's just another game, but if it's still close with 10 minutes remaining then it's not just another game. I just think he really wants it. His players know this too and the motivation for them will be to do it for him.

What Cody does have at his disposal, without any doubt, is exceptional players all over the field. Individually, and collectively, their semi-final form was ahead of Waterford, and so was their work rate. Henry Shefflin is one of the greatest players I've ever seen, but he's not afraid to get his hands dirty either.

He's the embodiment of Cody on the field. The same with Eddie Brennan and Aidan Fogarty. They put up big scores, sure, but their starting point is pressuring the ball, so that they become the first line of the Kilkenny defence.

Then you just have to glance at their bench and see the likes of John Dalton, Tennyson, James Ryall, Michael Fennelly, TJ Reid, Richie Hogan - they would all be contenders for any team in the country - and you realise that's what driving them as well, that depth of talent and pressure and competitiveness within the panel.

It's impossible to find a weakness in the Kilkenny team, based on the semi-final, so Waterford will need to look to their own strengths. Waterford's full forward line is very dangerous, and the whole team is physically strong. So how then are they going to beat Kilkenny? It goes without saying that Waterford really require a good strong start. I know Kilkenny will go for the jugular early on, that's their style.

But if you fall badly behind to Kilkenny early on, there's no coming back. Kilkenny are very good in the air, so they're going to have to match them at the puck outs, and put it up to them there, physically. But if they win the ball, and get it into their full forward line, then they can definitely do some damage on Kilkenny, with their pace, and attitude.

I think Davy Fitz has done a good job containing the hype but, given the personalities in their full forward line, their performance with an adequate supply of ball will be the true indication of this.

It's worth noting that the last time Kilkenny lost a championship match was in 2005, when they conceded a load of goals to Galway, and if Waterford get a few past them tomorrow then they can definitely shake Kilkenny.

I do think Waterford can hold their ground, but over the 70 minutes, given all their talent and experience and reserves and dependable know-how, I just think Kilkenny will ultimately win out.