Eoin Cody: If Mackessy joins Cats set-up he'll be as welcome as anyone else

The Kerry native transferred to the O'Loughlin Gaels club in Kilkenny this year.

BAS MAN: Ireland player Eoin Cody at the launch of the Shinty Hurling International at Croke Park. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Eoin Cody says former Kerry star Fionan Mackessy is a 'fair operator' who would be made welcome in the Kilkenny dressing-room.

Mackessy, who has captured the last two Poc Fada titles, transferred to the O'Loughlin Gaels club in Kilkenny this year and has helped the city side to Sunday week's county final against Thomastown.

Mackessy is living and working in Kilkenny and new Kerry manager John Griffin said this week that the versatile Ardert player is currently doing 'a little bit of S&C' with the Leinster champions.

Attacker Cody said he's in the dark about the situation but would welcome the highly rated 26-year-old into the Cats panel.

"At the end of the day it's hurling, if he is to come in we're not going to not talk to him or leave him in the corner of the dressing-room," said Cody. "It's all hearsay, I don't know. If he comes in he'll be as welcome as anyone else. He's a sound man.

"Once he's a Kilkenny man and he's called in, or if he is to be called in, he'll be the same teammate as anyone else. Look, once you're in the dressing-room you can't expect to be treated any different. At the end of the day, he deserves to be there, he can be there, and there's no point treating him any differently to anyone else.

"I actually haven't seen much of him. We've been hurling at much the same time as O'Loughlins, so I couldn't tell you much about him. Obviously I know he's the long puck champion and I've seen him hurl for Kerry.

"I know he's a fair operator, a big strong man. I know of him as well, I know Fionan himself, he's a sound man as well. But look, I don't know what's going to happen, or what has happened so far, I hadn't heard anything until I saw a post on Twitter this week."

Cillian Buckley definitely won't be involved with Kilkenny in 2025 having retired in August though attacker Cody is hopeful that there'll be no more departures. Cody and TJ Reid were part of the Ballyhale Shamrocks team that crashed out of the county championship with a surprise quarter-final loss to Thomastown.

Cody said Reid has 'said nothing' so far about either staying with Kilkenny or leaving, and is taking that as a positive.

"No news is good news," said Cody. "At this stage it's probably close enough to going back (time). It's looking like everyone is staying, whether they are not I don't know for definite."

Cody was speaking at the launch of the hurling/shinty international between Ireland and Scotland which will take place in Ennis on Saturday week.

Ireland can include seven MacCarthy Cup players in their 20-man panel and Cody is joined by Martin Keoghan (Kilkenny), Aidan McCarthy, Shane Meehan (both Clare), brothers Dan and Tom Morrissey (both Limerick) and Cianan Fahy (Galway).

"You're basically just learning not to put the ball in your hand which is the opposite of what you're doing in hurling," said Cody of the hybrid game.