Players ‘bared their souls’, says proud Brian Cody

The familiar pose: Brian Cody ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Hours before the ball was thrown in between Galway and Limerick, Brian Cody was already insisting Kilkenny would be unfancied again going into the final.

Outsiders against Clare, they belied the odds and Cody estimates they will have to again on Sunday week. “I’d say we’ll definitely be underdogs in the All-Ireland final as well. That’s not a problem. I couldn’t say, hand on heart, that Clare deserved to be underdogs today. They performed seriously, seriously well. You earn the right for the people who talk about favourites to be favourites.

“But I don’t think any team, any players, any management team are concerned about who the favourites are. Because favouritism goes out the window when the whistle blows.” 

Cody accepted the two-week break between the semi-final and final will present a challenge. “It’s short. It certainly is short, there is no doubt about that. But look, would we like another week? When you’re in the All-Ireland final, you don’t pick and choose what you get. We’d crawl to Dublin tomorrow again to play it if we had to, to be honest with you. That’s what the All-Ireland means."

Avoiding a third straight All-Ireland semi-final defeat was a major motivation to the players, according to TJ Reid. "The big motivation over the last four weeks was that we lost the last two semi-finals - no way was that happening today,” he remarked.

Cody acknowledged that too: “I'd say that would be in any real genuine sportspeople's minds at all times. You remember like we were here last year we didn't win it, we were here the year before. Everybody wants to get to the All-Ireland final and of course I would say in everybody's mind and everybody's heart, they would be saying, 'Look it lads, we can't afford this to happen again'. Because it's a tough feeling when you do lose it.

“You go out to try and win every game. We were at the same stage last year and the year before as well. We went out and performed and performed well and we just didn't make the final. Obviously, that drives on players even further.

“Look, it's absolutely, the players deserve all the credit for this. You can talk about managers and management teams and all sorts of people but when the game starts, the players bare their souls and they have to perform. That's the way in every sport.”