Anthony Daly: Classic Brian Cody. Vintage Kilkenny. Typical Galway.
"You have to hand it to Cody. For all the talk that he should have walked away and that the whole thing is gone stale with him on the line again for a 24th year, Kilkenny have nabbed another Bob O’Keeffe and are back in another All-Ireland semi-final." ©INPHO/James Crombie
RTÉ had stated how much focus they were placing on the Brian Cody-Henry Shefflin face-off from the very start with their split-screens on both managers. The anticipation around the expected handshake at the final whistle seemed nearly more important than the outcome of the match. Henry was eventually forced to walk over to Cody. Henry left shaking his head. Whatever was or wasn’t said, the bitterness between the two has obviously gone deeper than we’ll probably ever know.
It was classic Cody because he never takes a backward step, no matter how right or wrong he is. And his team took their cue from that attitude on Saturday evening because Kilkenny just refused to submit. By the end, it was Galway who were screaming for mercy from Kilkenny’s headlock.
It was vintage Kilkenny. Galway did butcher a handful of goal chances in the first half which killed any chance they had of creating real momentum in the match. And if you leave Kilkenny in any game when you’ve had a chance to set them back, you know the risks and the perils.
It was exactly the type of game Kilkenny wanted and needed it to be; low-scoring, hard-hitting, a pure dogfight. You knew by the way Cody picked the team that he was setting them up for a real battle. And no better team than the stripey men to come out on top in those wars.
Kilkenny just force you to do things you don’t want to but the more the game progressed, the more Galway reverted to type and old habits of playing as individuals. Instead of working the ball up the field and sticking to the plan, Galway just hit long and aimless ball up the field which was repeatedly gobbled up by Kilkenny defenders.
You have to hand it to Cody. For all the talk that he should have walked away and that the whole thing is gone stale with him on the line again for a 24th year, Kilkenny have nabbed another Bob O’Keeffe and are back in another All-Ireland semi-final. It’s still unclear where Kilkenny go next but would any other manager have guaranteed Kilkenny that prospect at the outset of the championship?
There is just no end to a Kilkenny team managed by Cody. Huw Lawlor summed that up more than any other player. He was in bother from Conor Whelan for long stages but he still stuck to his game and dogged it out. Even when he was under serious pressure, Lawlor never dropped his head. Kilkenny never do.
It was a poor game but it was a kind of throwback too given how low-scoring and intense the match was throughout. Kilkenny may no longer be the force they were but they’re still a dangerous outfit for anyone. They have four or five of the best players in the country and, in TJ Reid, one of the greatest ever. TJ may not have scored from open play but his freetaking was immense. He has had his injury struggles but now that he has four weeks off, he’ll come back even sharper again for the All-Ireland semi-final. Genius.
Galway will be unhappy with more than just the poverty of their shooting and poor use of possession. Two of their players could have been sent off. Galway were over Physical when they didn’t need to be. I know you have to man up but surely Galway know at this stage that there is no point taking Kilkenny on at that game? It’s a waste of time.
It was all too familiar a story. Another win for Kilkenny over Galway. Another Leinster title for Cody. We can say what we want about the man but there is no getting away from it. He’s the greatest GAA manager of all time. Full stop
