Enda McEvoy: For Brian Cody, good character always came before good hurling

Cody's greatest strength was his ceaseless capacity to send out a team to do a job on a given day. Any given day. Every given day

STEPPING DOWN: Former Kilkenny manager Brian Cody. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

If he couldn’t depart in triumph, and in the circumstances a triumph last Sunday would have been the greatest of his career, then at least he departs trailing a strange kind of glory. A cracking All Ireland final, brilliant champions and splendid runners-up. If one has to fail at the last fence, here was the way to do it.

Kilkenny gained more kudos in defeat than they have in many an All Ireland victory. Somebody has to lose, especially against this Limerick team, which in turn means that the manner in which one loses matters. Job done in that regard.