All-Ireland SHC Final/Focus on key personalities: Theoretically it should be a bit of a worry. In next Sunday's final Cork's full back Diarmuid O'Sullivan is likely to be marking someone, Niall Healy, who scored three goals in the semi-final. Galway's total of five represented an intrusion into Kilkenny's defence unheard of at All-Ireland level for 34 years.

But O'Sullivan, facing into his fourth All-Ireland, doesn't seem too concerned beyond observing the protocols of the occasion and saying what pressure he'll be under. Otherwise he is content.

"Being part of the full-back line carries an added responsibility. You are the last line bar Dónal Óg behind but it's an easy position when you bear in mind the quality of the half-back line and midfield you have in front of you and then the goalkeeper behind you. It takes a hell of a lot of pressure off you.

"If you look at our games, all we've been doing is picking up breaks of the ball and we're quite happy to do that."

The current All Star full back has reserved his best performances in recent years for Croke Park and has also had to adapt his traditional biff-them-and-belt-it style to the demands of the county team's short-ball, possession game.

Despite the grumbles of some keepers of the Cork flame, O'Sullivan feels the aesthetics of the new approach are under-rated.

"Any inter-county player has a certain skill level because he wouldn't be involved if he hadn't. Our game is fantastic to see in full flight, the quality of touch of John Gardiner, Seán Óg and Tom Kenny, Ben (O'Connor), Brian Corcoran.

"In the old-style game it was just hit-and-hope and you could never really appreciate the full skills of the players.

"Now when you see them in control of a ball and able to pick out a man with a hand pass, you appreciate it.

"It's a team game and you have to sacrifice yourself for the team. Look at Manchester United at the moment playing Roy Keane back in front of the defence. You have to change."

The change in his own game has meant the suppression of more buccaneering instincts and less-flamboyant use of the ball, compared to the old 100-metre-plus drives up the field. With that comes an acceptance of where he fits into the team and it isn't on a more advanced platform.

"I'd be pushing Jerry Wallace (physical trainer) there mad to get me out the field. He's always saying, 'another couple of weeks and we'll have you fit and you can go out'.

"I wouldn't get into the team anywhere else, being realistic. I wouldn't get into the half-back line or midfield and I'm delighted to be playing where I am."

He dismisses the relevance of Cork's experience, even against a team likely to feature only six of the side that started Galway's last All-Ireland final in 2001.

"I'm not sure if it makes any difference. We were in that position in 99 when we were a young team and Kilkenny were very experienced but we caught them off guard that day and it's something we're going to have to protect ourselves from against Galway."

This will be the final match (barring a replay) of O'Sullivan's second All-Ireland defence. Five years ago the first one ended in disaster at the semi-final stage. He says the lesson has been both learned and emphasised in the meantime.

"Stick to your plan. I suppose in 2000 we shot ourselves in the foot against Offaly. We were on top, well on top with balls flying into both corners, Seán McGrath and Joe Deane cleaning up.

"We thought we had it done at half-time and changed our game plan and put big, high balls in on top of these guys.

"If there's anything this panel has learned, that's it. Even in the 2004 Munster final when Waterford beat us we had a game plan but we self-destructed by not sticking by it. Since then we've learned and stick to the plan."