Delaney: we learn the hard way

THE most nationally famous referee in Kilkenny hurling is Brian Cody, the man in the middle for the increasingly legendary Nowlan Park training sessions. But, isn’t there a lesson here?

In all the speculation about what makes this Kilkenny team as great as it is, have we been overlooking this very critical element, the refereeing? Not a single Kilkenny whistler in the top 10 chosen for this year’s championship.

Why is that? Could it be the philosophy in Kilkenny hurling is a bit too raw for the delicate mandarins who rule the roost in Croke Park? Certainly wing-back JJ Delaney enjoys the freedom offered inside his own county, and inside Nowlan Park especially, to play the game the Kilkenny way – hard, uncompromising.