No masterplan to deal with Déise as Cats blow hot and cold, says Cody

THERE is one certainty about the first of the Guinness All-Ireland hurling semi-finals in Croke Park next Sunday: Kilkenny and Waterford will play an orthodox game.

No surprise tactics, no strategy of withdrawing a forward to close out the opposing attack, as pursued by Clare in their two quarter-final games with the All-Ireland champions.

Amid all the natural concern about Henry Shefflin’s welfare, Brian Cody admits to being amused by media comments that Kilkenny also employed an extra man “at the back.” Actually, he said he was “amazed”.

“It was suggested that because we had an extra back that we had withdrawn a player, which was absolutely crazy,” he explained. “We had six backs, six forwards and two midfielders and that’s the way we always play. I have never ever gone into a game any other way. I have no problem with other people doing what they do. We’ll look after our team. Quite honestly, I have never seen hurling as a major tactical game.”

Cody has always maintained that the gap between the top teams “on a given day” is marginal and that, in the right circumstances, any team - including his own - can be beaten.

“Our achievements over the last few years would rank highly with everybody and would suggest we are strong. But it’s about this year and I would suggest that our form this year hasn’t been as consistent as other years. And we have certainly gone a different way about things in the sense that we have had to go through the qualifiers.

“We have displayed all sorts of form - some of it outstanding - our character has been tested and shown to be good. Other times, our form would be something that wouldn’t be good enough to win on Sunday.

“On the other hand, Waterford’s championship form to date has been top-class. In the Cork match they were being outhurled in the first half while playing with the wind and lost a top player after half time. All sorts of questions were asked about their character, but they came up to trumps.”

Following Kilkenny’s stellar display against Galway, Cody suggested that maybe “too much” was being read into it. He wouldn’t describe it as “false” though - suggesting his team is well capable of hurling at that level.

At the same time, he took notice of Conor Hayes’s admission that Galway weren’t fully prepared for championship hurling - and would have benefited from playing in the Leinster championship.

“We certainly played very well, but a lot of people have come around to the opinion that Galway weren’t as accustomed to the pace of championship hurling as they thought they might have been,” he added. “It’s a one-off thing. All matches are on the day and on that particular evening we went at it hammer and thongs. We got on top and it worked out very well.”

He praises his team for the character they showed in coping with the mighty challenge from Clare in the drawn game.

Clare were making the running and “huge questions” were asked after Tommy Walsh was sent off.

“We didn’t appear to be playing the particular type of hurling we would like to have been playing. We were pretty static and we weren’t creating chances,” said Cody. What saved them was the big response from players like goalkeeper James McGarry.

Chances lost in the replay could have been costly, he accepted, except that he was very pleased at the rate at which his side were creating them.

“It’s been well documented, since if we had taken all our chances in the first half, the game would have been over. If we are creating chances I never worry too much.

“Hurling is about creating chances. All sport is like that.”

Wexford proved that in the Leinster semi-final when they won with a dramatic late goal.

On the basis that they have always viewed Wexford as a serious threat, Cody argues that their defeat shouldn’t be seen as “a major shock”.

Having gone through the direct route for the past six years, he accepts that it’s not the type of scenario any manager would choose.

For him the “ideal” preparation is a game every two weeks.

“It has changed a small bit for us with the replay, but it’s a fine system right now.

“We have had some great games, sampled the atmosphere in Carlow and Thurles -and been successful, which is the most important.”

There was another bonus: “And, it has been enjoyable,” Cody added.