Cody leads the plaudits after magical Rebel display

EVEN in Kilkenny, there was admiration for Cork's demolition act on Wexford in the Guinness All-Ireland SHC semi-final at Croke Park.

The All-Ireland champions now meet Dónal O'Grady's side in September's championship decider, a repeat of the 2003 final.

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody was leading the plaudits of one of the most complete performances of the season from a side which was shipped some heavy criticism since the defeat in the Munster campaign to Waterford.

"Nobody going up could have anticipated that performance. 1-27 is a great score but in an All-Ireland semi-final that was something else," the three-in-a-row seeking manager admitted.

And he dismissed suggestions that Sunday's display by Cork was due to the lethargy of a Wexford side who had not played in the championship for six weeks.

"Certainly Wexford will not be happy with the way they played. But from a Cork perspective you can only play as well as you are let play. They took the game by the scruff of the neck and were strong in every position."

Cody pinpointed Cork's centre field dominance as a key factor in the weekend win.

"The performance of the midfield was very impressive and the fact that their two men there, Jerry O'Connor and Tom Kenny, scored (six points and 1-1 respectively) was a huge bonus. Behind them their half backs were massive as well."

The September 12 showdown will be the first to feature two teams to have benefited from the All-Ireland qualifier series. But Cody stresses that this fact should not be used as a means of devaluing the provincial championship.

"You could speculate about that and it is a factor but against that we have experienced the six week lay-off as Leinster champions and gone on to win the All-Ireland."

The recent history between the sides on All-Ireland Final day of course will help fill the column inches between now and throw-in.

Cork won Liam McCarthy in 1999 when Kilkenny and most of Ireland felt that the crown was heading Noreside, while the roles were reversed last year.

"The media will make a lot of all of that," Cody agrees. "But there is an All-Ireland Final every year and it is the be all and end all for the competing teams to land the title. We would love to win it and so too would Cork."