The real hurling has yet to start, says Cody

FOR the hurling world at large, the defeat of Kilkenny in the glamour Allianz National Hurling League tie in Nowlan Park at the weekend was a dose of reality.

While the status accorded the holders after a winning sequence in the preliminary rounds may have been flattering, it hardly warranted the type of speculation it generated. Yes, Kilkenny do look the team best equipped to win another All-Ireland, but, as manager Brian Cody pointed out after Sunday’s game with Tipperary, the ‘real’ hurling has yet to start.

“We never lost our sanity ourselves, but out there people write all sorts of stuff. We’re talking about hurling played in February and March and like I say the whole time, the year’s hurling is only starting about now. And, it’s going to step up in a major way over the next few weeks. We have got a serious reminder about the difficulties we face in the weeks and months ahead,” he said.