Cody not milking pain of 2010

WHETHER as player or manager, there was never a more proud or more fiercely competitive individual on a hurling field than Brian Cody.

He wasn’t the most naturally gifted hurler, but by dint of hard work and iron will he maximised what he had, collected three All-Ireland senior medals on the field of play (including one as captain), two All-Ireland senior club medals, and two All-Stars.

As manager, well, we all know the accolades and awards picked up there over the last 12 all-conquering years for Kilkenny. That was a team moulded in his own likeness, all the basic hurling skills of course, and honed to perfection, but it was also a dedicated, hard-working, team-oriented side, some of the finest individuals the game has known happy to become links in what became an almost unbreakable chain.