Brian Cody will raise bar higher for sloppy Kilkenny

In Nowlan Park yesterday, I took my seat in the stand behind the goals for the first time. Anytime I’d been there before, I’d been on the field, patrolling the sideline with the Dubs or in the press box, but I wanted to get a different perspective on Kilkenny, especially their structure. It was also the closest spot to where I parked the car.

With 30 minutes gone, and Kilkenny ahead by 0-13 to 0-4, the thought came into my head: “Will I make a run for it and shorten the road home?”

In fairness to Galway and Micheal Donoghue, they completely restructured their team. They brought Joe Canning to midfield, switched David Burke to number six and pushed Daithi Burke into full-back. Colin Fennelly should have had a goal and James Skehill made a great save from Walter Walsh but Galway still looked way more solid with that realigned formation.