Cody: Cork can ‘crush’ teams

AMID all the talk of three All-Irelands in a row, it’s easy to forget that, not so long ago, Kilkenny hurlers were staring down the barrel of a third consecutive defeat in the Guinness All-Ireland hurling championship.

That was the challenge faced by Brian Cody and six of the players starting against Cork tomorrow in Croke Park when they faced up to Offaly in the 2000 decider.

Offaly shocked them in '98 and 12 months later they lost to Cork, Cody's first year in charge. One year later they were champions and then after going out to Offaly in the 2001 semi-final, they had to start all over again.

Contesting the final for the sixth time in seven seasons is testament to the strength of the game in the county. It's not as if Cody has a magic wand, and he is quick to acknowledge virtual conveyor belt of young talent.

"The players have come through a terrific grounding before they ever reach the senior set-up," he says.

"They are a tribute to the quality of the people who are involved in our clubs, our primary and second-level schools.

"We have these people right throughout the whole system in Kilkenny. People talk about senior mangers, but I certainly didn't make those players into hurlers they were well formed hurlers when they came as far as getting involved with us."

In the build-up to Sunday's All-Ireland final, he has been frequently quizzed about the pressures on his team to complete the three-in-a-row. "Obviously it would be a terrific achievement, but only if we win the All-Ireland.

"We can talk all we like about it, but there's a massive incentive to win it every year. I'm not trying to play it down. It's there, it's what the history books will record if we can win it. If we don't, it goes out the window and three-in-a-row will be spoken again whenever it arises again. It's about the 2004 final."

He says the "sense of elation" felt by the winners will be the same; there are no other incentives needed on All-Ireland final day.

Nevertheless, he accepts Cork have a huge motivation after losing last year. "We have been there. Losing an All-Ireland final does give you a greater urgency. It's something you don't want to repeat because it's an awful place to be. It does drive you on, to get things right the following year."

Cody says that he wouldn't insult the Leinster championship by saying he would prefer to get to an All-Ireland final by the same route as this year. Yet, he would prefer a structure which provides top-class games on a regular basis.

"This summer has been very different, from a four-week gap between the Leinster semi-final and the final, to a six weeks gap before the All-Ireland semi-final and a four week gap to the final.

"We've been involved in serious matches, very competitive games. We got out of Croke Park, played in Carlow, in Thurles and we had draw and a replay."

Beating Galway the way they did was "a good response" to their shock Leinster final defeat by Wexford.

There was a lot at stake for the team, because of the questions that had been asked about their character and their ability. "We played well on the night. The players were anxious to atone and set out their stall for the rest of the year and we did that very well," he commented.

The Clare game, of course, was very different. A real test. But it was what he would have expected, what he would always expect from the serious hurling counties.

His players had to cope with Clare's strategy of playing an extra defender. They had to think on their feet and then react positively to the dismissal of Tommy Walsh just after half-time.

Then, there was the eye injury suffered by Henry Shefflin in the replay; it put everything into perspective. "His welfare was more important than any game, including the All-Ireland final. Again, there were serious questions asked about the team that day and they gave serious answers to them."

Experience has taught him that Cork are never far away from being a serious team, with that capability "to come overnight".

"On a day like the Wexford game, they would be very difficult to beat. That was the best display, I suppose, that has been seen for a while. To score 1-27 was phenomenal.

"Whereas afterwards people were questioning the quality of the opposition, before the game they were being written up in a serious light. Cork have that ability to produce the kind of hurling that can really crush teams.

"They beat Wexford easily and Antrim easily. You can say they didn't have a great test or say they were so far ahead of the opposition that their form was so good. You can also say that they are such a high quality team that the opposition wasn't capable of staying with them.

"We had tough tests, different types of games. They were low-scoring and we punctuated all those games with a variety of wides which would concern us.

"Cork's economy, the last day, was top-class and their ability to pick off points out the field was serious. If we are going to be wasteful like we have been in some of the matches, then we will certainly suffer."

If he wasn't involved, he says it's a game he would find very difficult to predict the outcome. Nobody asked him what he did feel.

We all knew what the answer would be.