Cody: Maybe, we are a second-half team but that won’t do the next day

WHEN the doors to Kilkenny dressing-room finally opened, there were no flying champagne corks, no real excitement.

Tipperary defeated, job done. Another All-Ireland final. That’s all yesterday amounted to.

Even though, for 35 minutes of the second half, Kilkenny illustrated all the qualities that make hurling a wonderful game, by half-time, Tipperary were two points ahead and had some believing a surprise was brewing.