‘Cats should thank lucky stars for Cody’, says Davy

Three of the four managers still hoping to bag Liam MacCarthy gathered in Croke Park yesterday, but it was Brian Cody rather than Jimmy Barry-Murphy who was the absent friend on most people’s minds.

The eviction of Cody’s feared Kilkenny side from the championship on Sunday by Cork has spilled over into day after day of dissection and discussion with the futures of management and players alike dominating.

Will Cody come back for a 15th year at the helm? Will Henry Shefflin bow out after that disputed dismissal in Thurles? Will others among their richly-decorated number retire?