Cool for Cats

FIVE years on, Brian Cody is not merely one of the most accomplished and successful hurling managers of the modern era.

The Kilkenny manager has outlived all of his main contemporaries, and enjoys the rare luxury that only victory guarantees for all but the chosen few. Little wonder he is gearing himself up for the challenge of three-in-a-row.

It so happens that he and his co-selectors are working with the biggest and arguably the best pool of players available to any coach, evidenced in the clean sweep of the major titles this season. Yet, he is dismissive of the view that Kilkenny are guaranteed to maintain their dominance in Leinster and that will only be a question of who might be able to stop them in the All-Ireland series.

Cody admits that he didn't dwell too long on the question of continuing as manager (having been appointed as successor to Kevin Fennelly, who was in charge when Offaly triumphed in the 1998 final under Michael Bond). "I didn't think too much about it. I enjoyed the fact of retaining the All-Ireland and I never went close to not staying. Deep down I felt it would just be too difficult to walk away from it," he explains.

"The bottom line is that you enjoy it. That and enthusiasm and are the biggest things for me and these are still in place so far."

Outsiders might believe that he is in a privileged position because of a cosy working relationship with the County Board and the full support of the clubs. Reluctant to be drawn into a discussion on the plight of other managers who have either fallen by the wayside or work under extreme pressure, he accepts that his situation is ideal. "I firmly believe that it's up to every county to look after themselves and how other counties look after their affairs is their business. We can only concern ourselves with Kilkenny. We have a great set-up down here.

"The vital part of the success over the years has been all the component parts working together. It's just one of the major strengths of Kilkenny that there is total equanimity between everybody concerned. The County Board is a major player and they are absolutely and totally pro hurling and pro players, pro everything that can be done to achieve success, in a realistic way."

Cody points out that before their recent run of successes nobody at official level was pointing the finger at the management or the players. While the talk now, understandably, is about emulating the achievement of the Cork team of 1976-'78, not so long ago, Kilkenny were facing the threat of All-Ireland defeats in three consecutive finals.

"There was no criticism from the County Board. They realised that the people concerned were giving their best and things were going reasonably well. They had confidence in the set-up. It's all about the players. They are the be all and end all of everything in the Association. The successes we have been having are due absolutely and totally to the quality of the players we have and to their character. Apart from the talent, they are level-headed and they are genuine, terrific players to work with.

"People will say that we won such and such a match easily, but you look back on the League final this year and the final last year and they were games snatched from the jaws of defeat. And, the All-Ireland final as well like when Cork went ahead at a psychologically important time. Managers don't win those games for you. I have no illusions about myself whatsoever. I am blessed by the fact that we have outstanding players. A blind man would be picking those players to play for the county and I don't see myself doing anything fantastic for Kilkenny.

"I don't fear the ability of the players to deal with the success they have had and it's probably more difficult to deal with success than it is to deal with failure. There is the danger always that success and the feel-good factor will sate that hunger and make you a bit soft. But while the recent years have been good, over the last five or six years we have seen all sides of it."

As well as retaining their minor title, Kilkenny also captured the under-21 championship this year. As to the question of how that can benefit them at senior level, Cody says that it will keep everybody focused. In real terms, it will keep the pressure on the current players to continue delivering. One has only to reflect back to mid 2002, after Kilkenny won the League against Cork and new players introduced over the course of the campaign were given their head in the championship.

Cody says that everybody involved realises that if they (management) feel that younger players will do a job for them, they will be prepared to bring them on board.

"There's no point in thinking that you were great last year and the year before and that you will be part and parcel of the team for the next five or six years. You are part and parcel of it for as long as you continue to justify that. There is opposition out there and I certainly haven't the right to deny players who are beating the door down to get in there the opportunity of getting in. We'll deal with it as absolutely as honestly as we see fit.

"There are very good players out there. You see their commitment and their character. Some of them have not been brought into the panel yet but we'll be looking at the situation very seriously over the next few months."

An essential part of the process will be a continuation of the type of serious approach to the National League which they have adopted during their reign. "I have never gone with the feeling that if we do well in the League we are going to be burned out for the championship. We don't play enough hurling matches to get burned out, ever. Our approach is that we will try to win matches, from challenge matches to the Walsh Cup, the League and whatever and try and build it on from there.

"For certain, it's going to be very difficult to win three-in-a-row. It took 10 years for a team to win consecutive All-Irelands and that was tough. Very good teams had failed to do it, including ourselves a few years ago. The three-in-a-row thing is raising the bar altogether. There is no gap there between ourselves and five or six other counties.

"It just doesn't exist. We have got a particular roll going over the last couple of years and we have come out on the right side of matches. But I'm absolutely certain that on a given day, five or six or possibly seven other counties are capable of beating us the same as we are capable of beating them. It's very much a level playing field.

"Obviously because we are the team that have put these couple of All-Irelands together, we are going to be the ones that other teams are out to knock and that's the way it should be. If some other county had done it, we'd be bursting to get at them as well.

"It's going to be inhumanely difficult in lots of ways, but at the same time, we will be competitive and we will be going out with no holds barred to try and achieve what would be a wonderful achievement.

"This particular cycle, Munster hurling is stronger than Leinster and that's a fact. It wasn't always that way and won't always be. Dublin and Laois are making good strides and contrary to what might be felt, Offaly are coming again with good young players. Leinster will turn around and will develop. Wexford are there with a hard core, with a very good team."