Cody grateful to get second chance after being ‘out-hurled’

Brian Cody admitted Dublin outplayed his Kilkenny side in the second half of yesterday’s Leinster semi-final.

Despite facing a stiff breeze, their opponents went ahead twice in the second half and Kilkenny needed TJ Reid to save their blushes deep into injury-time.

“We got the equalising point with the more or less last puck of the game and we’re very relieved to have done so.

“We came off at half time [0-8 apiece] and the expectation might have been then we had done the hard work and put ourselves in a good position, but there was no sense of that in the dressing room. The job was only half done.

“We went out fully determined in our heads to drive it on, but Dublin were exceptional in the second half and they outhurled us.”

Cody rued the lack of ball won by his players but typically didn’t make any excuses for his team’s failure to win, not even the absence of Henry Shefflin, Michael Fennelly and Jackie Tyrrell.

“Call it what you like, the excuse of being short players. We have 15 players and that’s it, regardless of who is not available to us. Obviously, we’d like to have everybody available but you have who you have, and you’ve got to live and die by who you have on the field.”

Cody revealed Tyrrell is the only player with a realistic hope of playing next Saturday and Paul Murphy looks a major doubt after a serious ankle injury in the first half, which saw him sent to hospital for an x-ray.

As he oversees his players’ recuperation, he has no qualms with the six-day gap.

“I’m looking forward to it regardless of when it’s going to be on,” said Cody. “We know what’s facing us, we’re glad to be there and obviously there won’t be very much physical preparation but it’s a question of getting a bit of recovery and getting ready to go again.”

Asked why Colin Fennelly chose to play against the wind in the first half, Cody grinned: “Tradition. It’s just something we do and I don’t think it’s a big issue.

“If we to lose the toss, we wouldn’t have minded either. As it turned out, both teams played better against the wind.”

He was also keen not to make too much fuss about Cillian Buckley’s move back to counter and imitate Dublin’s sweeping tactic with Johnny McCaffrey.

“Paddy Hogan was actually the free man back there but we just switched Paddy and Cillian, and Cillian is a player who can play half-back, midfield and forwards and he has that flexibility to move.

“But the game took on a life of its own, I suppose in lots of ways. And when you get a bit of momentum in sport in general, it tends to take over the thing and the momentum was with Dublin.”