Brandishing of cards has ‘gone crazy’, says Cody

Kilkenny boss Brian Cody was left baffled by the decision to dismiss Henry Shefflin in Thurles yesterday.

“I wouldn’t talk about the Cork players but as regards yellow cards, it has gone crazy. It has gone mad altogether. But if that is the way they want it, that is the way they like it.

“I have no idea why Henry Shefflin got two yellow cards. The second one was so clear to me; there was a Cork player falling down, his hurl was very low and when a player falls, the hurl obviously ends up around his neck but Henry didn’t put the hurl up there, the person put his body down into it.

“But I am not going to be complaining about referees or anything else. I could have done that for years and I haven’t done it.

“Congratulations to Cork, it was a great win. Our lads gave it everything, their spirit was fantastic.

“We kept going to the very, very end. Things did not particularly go our way in certain facets of the game but then again we have been successful for a long time now and we are facing now what a long number of counties have faced from us over the years, I suppose.”

Cody paid tribute to his players for their efforts in the second half, when the game was clearly going against them.

“They were magnificent, the fellas were just superb, the spirit and determination they showed to get back into the game even when I suppose it was obviously lost, their heads never dropped.

“They are a massive team, they have been and they are, but that’s the way it goes and we came out the wrong end of it. There are several more seasons in them, the team obviously evolves and changes from year to year but there are so many players in that dressing room who have huge careers ahead of them.”

The Cats manager was non-committal on his own future: “I won’t say anything about myself.

“I have no idea. I have no idea at all. I feel the same as every other year about it. I have no idea, there is no decision made about anything. I won’t even consider it for a long, long time,” he said.

As regards this being the end of an era for this Kilkenny side he was dismissive but accepted every team goes through a period of change.

“There has been a few ends of eras predicted over the last number of years. I don’t think any era ends to be honest with you. If end of an era means that it is the end of a Kilkenny senior hurling team being competitive at inter-county level I’d say that is something that shouldn’t be allowed happen. So let’s wait and see,” he told RTÉ.

“There is mileage on some of them and there is not much mileage on others. But look it, the team evolves, every team changes, individuals come and go and the team goes on and the game goes on and that’s the way it has been happening for a long, long time. That’s the way it will continue to happen I’m sure.”