Cody trust young Cats' claws sharp enough for Clare

Hurling is no country for old men. At 34, TJ Reid and Patrick Horgan are rarities at the top of the inter-county game. Their peers Brendan Maher, Joe Canning and Padraic Maher all recently called it a day by 32.

But it is no longer a boys' club either. In 2010, the then 21-year-old Brendan and Padraic, another Maher (Patrick 'Bonner', 20) and 19-year-old Noel McGrath all started Tipperary’s All-Ireland final victory over Kilkenny and six days later also played in the under-21 triumph over Galway. Seamus Hennessy and Seamus Callanan were both 21 and came off the bench to score against the Cats.

It’s hard to imagine a team putting such faith in youth today and not only because U20s are now barred from playing at that grade after a senior appearance in the same season.

Levels of strength and conditioning have reached such heights that John Meyler, former Cork manager and now head of the Rebels development squads, told RTÉ Sport recently that he believes getting up to speed physically now "takes four or five years".

"In the old days, fellas were coming through at 19 or 20, now they’re 22. It’s tough. Fellas that are 17 are eligible to play senior hurling for Cork next year. Could you put them up against Gearóid Hegarty or Kyle Hayes? You couldn’t."

That trend appears to be confirmed when looking at the players that last featured for this weekend’s four semi-finalists.

Against Wexford, Clare’s youngest starter was 23-year-old Diarmuid Ryan and nobody else was under 26. The average age was 27.8, dropping slightly to 26.9 when you factor in subs, which included Mark Rodgers (21) and Shane Meehan (20).

Limerick’s average starting age in the Munster final was over a year lower at 26.6, their subs bringing it up slightly to 26.8. Cathal