Jackie Tyrrell tells a tale in his autobiography which hints at just how hard Brian Cody must be pushing his Kilkenny players right now.

The pieces of the jigsaw have slowly but surely fallen in place for Derek McGrath, writes John Fogarty.

After this Saturday night’s battle in Innovate Wexford Park, the picture will become clearer.

Regime change? Tipperary’s emphatic victory over Kilkenny in yesterday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final certainly felt like an administration of long-standing yielding to new rulers.

Leinster SHC semi-final

Brian Cody paid a glowing tribute to recently-retired Richie Power yesterday, describing the forward as a player who “had everything”.

Galway needed to be in touch as the game entered the crucial last ten minutes but they faded badly when they needed to kick on, having impressed when leading by three points at half-time.

Kilkenny’s last two All-Ireland successes haven’t been replicated in the All Stars honour lists, where the runners-up in both years, Galway in 2012 and Tipperary last year, trumped them. As of now, Kilkenny look set to take the lion’s share of personal honours but Galway have plenty of strong contenders too.

Not since well BC (Before Cody) had Kilkenny lost three regular league matches in a row in a single season.

On Sunday, Barry Kelly takes charge of a Kilkenny game for the first time since Brian Cody’s "criminal" comments about him.

Having contested one of the most dramatic All-Ireland finals in living memory Kilkenny and Tipperary are set to do battle once more this evening.

You know, of course, that Henry Shefflin, 35, has an autobiography coming out soon, a traditional indication that a player is approaching the end of his career.

That thunderclap in Dublin yesterday around quarter to four was warranted.

As the man who appointed Brian Cody, Kilkenny fans can be very grateful to former chairman John Healy

Kilkenny 1-16 Galway 0-15

Clare have named 12 of their All-Ireland winning team for tomorrow’s Division 1A league opener against Kilkenny in Ennis.

Refereeing and referees was a topic for discussion at the Clare media day on Wednesday, in advance of this year’s All-Ireland senior hurling final, selector Mike Deegan stating that the Clare management would try to have a meeting with the man in the middle before every game to try to ascertain what they will or won’t allow.

Henry Shefflin and Michael Fennelly will start on the Kilkenny team to play Cork in the All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final in Thurles tomorrow.

Cork have named the same side that beat Clare in the Munster SFC semi-final for Sunday’s provincial decider against Kerry.

Two of Tipperary’s greatest hurlers believe Kilkenny under Brian Cody have never been more vulnerable as now.

Kilkenny 1-24 Galway 1-17

... is a very different animal to the Kilkenny full-back who has prowled his square and wore the famed No 3 jersey with distinction for more than a decade. Michael Moynihan took advantage of Noel Hickey’s downtime.

Kilkenny hurling supporters — and sports fans generally — can look forward to a treat next year, when Henry Shefflin’s autobiography will be published.

The nature of drugs tests in top level GAA is under further scrutiny after a Kilkenny player was detained for around two hours after Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

Watching Kilkenny disembowel Tipperary in the second-half yesterday, a quote from acclaimed TV series The Wire sprang to mind.

Kilkenny hurling selector Martin Fogarty says every inter-county team goes out to “have the other team blown out of the water after 10 minutes”.

Last year’s beaten finalists Kilkenny opened their Leinster MHC campaign with a flattering eight point win over Laois in O’Moore Park on Saturday.

As expected, London picked up their first win of the year with a facile victory over Division 4 strugglers Kilkenny in Nowlan Park, the Cats’ second heaviest defeat in the campaign.

Leinster Council chairman Martin Skelly feels that weaker counties — and in particular Kilkenny — should be given special dispensation to assemble squads outside of the GAA’s designated inter-county off-season.

Kilkenny 2-17 Tipperary 0-15

It may have been a senior development squad team on duty, but the New Year began as the old one finished for Kilkenny — a victory, albeit a hard-earned one.

KILKENNY hurling legend Henry Shefflin is facing the prospect of six months on the sideline recovering from shoulder surgery, it emerged yesterday.

KILKENNY, then.

FORMER Kilkenny star Christy Heffernan has claimed Tipperary people have yet to get over the penalty that paved the way for the Cats’ 2009 All-Ireland final success.

THEY won by six points, I don’t think they wanted to win by any more than that”, said Tony Considine in these pages yesterday, summing up the Cats’ win over Waterford in Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling semi-final.

KILKENNY ace John Tennyson is set to lose his race to return for the Cats’ All-Ireland semi-final date on August 7.

WINNING silverware is rarely straightforward and Dublin can certainly attest to that after dragging themselves over the winning line to claim a 13th Leinster MHC title at Croke Park yesterday.

KILKENNY have made a single but significant change for tomorrow’s Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final, recalling former Hurler of the Year Tommy Walsh in defence.

IMITATION, it’s said, is the sincerest form of flattery and on Sunday old Kilkenny meets new Kilkenny in the Leinster SHC final. Yes, it’s the Cats versus the Dubs, but when the high-profile Kilkenny players take up their positions, they’ll be looking at a mirror image of themselves.

ALL STAR defender Jackie Tyrrell has delivered a damning verdict on Kilkenny’s Allianz National Hurling League final display, describing it as “the worst performance I was ever involved in with Kilkenny.”

WELL, Emerson said the best period to be born in is when the old and the new stand side by side (Ralph Emerson, by the way; not Hughie).