Advantage Cork? No, says Meyler.

“It doesn’t make a difference if Kilkenny are without the Ballyhale Shamrocks players, or the Dunamaggin players - we’re without Darragh Fitzgibbon because Charleville are in the All-Ireland club final. That’s just the way it is. Kilkenny will always put out a team that’s competitive.

“I saw them play Wexford in Enniscorthy a couple of weeks ago and Brian Cody hasn’t lost any of his enthusiasm. Kilkenny are Kilkenny. They never lower their standards and they never make excuses. You go to Nowlan Park for Cork versus Kilkenny - there’s a tradition there and they’ll want to win.”

Cork have their own injury concerns: “Eoghan Murphy went over on his shoulder during the week with UCC, Billy Hennessy is recovering from an operation, as is Mark Ellis and Michael Cahalane. They’re the major injuries. It’s disappointing for Eoghan, he got hurt in the very last minute of the UCC game and he’s looking at an operation.

"Rob Downey went over on his ankle last weekend, he’s out for the Kilkenny game having done well in the Munster hurling league. Conor Cahalane had a slight niggle and missed out on some training. Tommy O’Connell saw some game time in the Munster league . . . we’re trying to introduce those guys slowly, but introducing them away to Kilkenny is different.

“You have to be conscious of what you’re trying to do with younger players - giving them support around them. It’s not a case of throwing them in, but giving them 15, 20 minutes at a time.”

Meyler points out that standards have picked up all round - not just in the championship, but also in the preceding competitions.

“It’s all about levels. The Munster senior hurling league, the Fitzgibbon, the national league, the Munster championship . . . those are all levels, different levels and different types of hurling in some ways because the conditions go from muddy and wet to high-speed, high-intensity.

Getting those players to the next level is the issue, and how they respond to different environments - temperament and character, all these things come into it. How will they take playing in front of 10,000 people in Thurles or Limerick, or Nowlan Park?

The manager mentioned the Fitzgibbon, a competition that’s been good to Cork recently. “I sat down with (UCC coaches) Tom Kingston and Ger Cunningham in October and they told me what they needed - we accommodated them and it’s worked quite well. UCC have been doing well in their games so there hasn’t been a real problem.

"Darragh Fitzgibbon’s been involved with Charleville so he hasn’t really been involved either, it’s just a matter of accommodating colleges. It’s a competition that gives fringe players an opportunity as well. Look at the UCC defence during the week and six of the seven players are from Cork. Chris O’Leary, Eoghan Murphy, Niall O’Leary, Eddie Gunning, Shane Hurley and David Griffin - they get a chance to play against UL and UCD.

"In one way it’s a massive opportunity for them and it’s also giving them a competitive environment. Can they do it in the league, against a 27, 28-year-old, having done it against a 21-year-old in the Fitzgibbon? The national league is a level up, and the Munster championship is another level up again.”

This is Meyler’s second season at the helm in Cork. What has he discovered in the last 12 months he didn’t know before?

“We spoke 12 months ago about the importance of the panel, and if you look at the All-Ireland semi-final, Limerick caught us with the use of their panel. I’ve studied that in terms of the All Blacks, and how they use the subs they can bring on to the benefit of the team. That’s something we need to look at.

Analysing the All-Ireland semi-final last year, we looked at players who could give us something - the likes of Stephen McDonnell, Conor O’Sullivan, Aidan Walsh, Jamie Coughlan. Those players, there’s no real development in it because all they need is a good hard pre-season and they’re ready to go, you’re looking to them to make a contribution.

“Then you’re looking at U21s from last year, the likes of Michael O’Halloran, Conor Cahalane, Declan Dalton. Again, you’re talking about levels.” Does that need a change of mindset, that players need to realise they can contribute from the bench?

“The rugby model is interesting if you look at it - the props or the front row play for 50 minutes and they’re taken off, the second row and a back row are taken off - but in Munster’s case the likes of CJ Stander and Peter O’Mahony stay on. You’ve fresh players on there and maybe at scrum-half or centre, so the whole thing is freshened up. We’ve got to look at that - once a player reaches his threshold you put in someone instead.

“And that’s where the mindset has to change, where a guy realises he’s not going to start or finish a particular game for the good of the team. The team ethic is critical, but it always has to be.” Regarding the team which used its panel best last year, did Limerick have the ideal run in, given they missed the hype that would have surrounded a Munster final? Meyler isn’t so sure.

“You can’t plan those things, though something that hasn’t been commented on that much is the fact that Limerick were without the Na Piarsaigh players until the end of March last year, they were in the All-Ireland club final.

So Limerick had a settled team but they also were joined in the season by the Na Piarsaigh lads who made a massive contribution coming in as subs. In Munster they lost to Clare and didn’t make the Munster final, they had a game against Carlow - but they then had to play Kilkenny in Thurles.

“Now, would you prefer to play Kilkenny in Thurles in a quarter-final or Croke Park in a semi-final? People forget Kilkenny were two points up with two minutes left in that game.

“Anyone who suggests to me that we shouldn’t qualify for the Munster final . . . put it this way, the top priority is to finish in the top three in Munster. That’s the ultimate goal - the line is too fine to try to make the top three and yet not make the Munster final. If you’re not in that top three you won’t be in the Munster final anyway.”

Has the competition ever been more finely balanced? The Cork manager doesn’t think so.

“No. You’ve got nine or ten teams who can all beat each other on a given day. I know that’s a cliche but it’s true.

“Take last year. Dublin should have beaten Wexford and Kilkenny. Tipperary hit the post and Clare go downfield for a goal to win the game - and Tipp are out. Us against Limerick, Nickey Quaid’s save against Seamus Harnedy.

“It’ll all come down to 2pm on Sunday, May 12. You have to tune yourself in for that.”