Brian Cody proud of Kilkenny effort: 'They fought until the bitter end'

Kilkenny's Adrian Mullen dejected after the game. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody pointed to Jack O’Connor’s 79th-minute goal as the key score of this absorbing All-Ireland semi-final contest.

Proceedings were level at 1-28 to 0-31 when O’Connor fired to the Kilkenny net. A TJ Reid point in the ensuing play did narrow Cork's lead to two, but no closer did Kilkenny come of their opponents for the remainder of extra-time.

The result marked Brian Cody’s fourth All-Ireland semi-final defeat as manager - from a total of 20 appearances in the championship’s penultimate round.

“Cork played out extra-time very well, obviously,” Cody began.

“It was one of those games where we had chances at different times in the game, they had chances as well. It kind of ebbed and flowed a fair bit.

“Coming to the end of normal time, it obviously looked like they were going to win it, but we scored a very good goal to bring it to extra-time. We started extra-time pretty well, as it went on then the goal was a huge score for them and they just had that breathing space and they just played it out very well after that.”

The Kilkenny manager was as impressed with Cork’s skill and application as he was their much commented upon pace.

“Everybody spoke about the Cork pace before the game, and of course they are full of pace, but they are also full of skill and application and everything else.

“Like I said, a goal is a huge score and when they got that they had the confidence and the ability to move the ball around and pick some good scores.”

From a position of being six in arrears with seven minutes of regulation time remaining and three behind with the four minutes of second-half stoppages almost elapsed, Cody was immensely proud of how his charges refused to accept defeat and somehow managed to force extra-time.

“That's what real sports people do, they keep going, and that’s what our dressing-room is full of. They kept at it, they kept going, they fought until the bitter end. Sport is sport, somebody always wins and somebody always loses. But you can lose badly or you can lose with a bit of respect and a bit of honour, and our lads did that today.”