Brian Cody set to miss jubilee celebration of his first All-Ireland win as manager

The 11-time All-Ireland SHC winning manager will be out of the country for Sunday's celebration, sources say.

Brian Cody, KIlkenny manager, left, speaks with Willie O'Connor, Kilkenny captain, in 2000. Picture: Ray McManus, Sportsfile

There are doubts Brian Cody will be in attendance at the celebration of Kilkenny’s silver jubilee All-Ireland SHC winning team of 2000 in Croke Park on Sunday.

The 11-time All-Ireland winning manager has been invited along with his panel, captained by Willie O’Connor, to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of their success against Offaly, the first time Cody guided Kilkenny to the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Since last year, managers have been introduced to the crowd along with their teams. The All-Ireland-winning bosses of 1999, Jimmy Barry-Murphy and Seán Boylan, received great acclaim at the 2024 games.

However, sources close to those organising the gathering have said Cody is expected to be out of the country and therefore unable to attend.

Apart from DJ Carey, who was man of the match in the victory over Offaly when he scored 1-4, at least one other 2000 All-Ireland winner is not expected to be able to be in attendance.

Earlier this month, Carey pleaded guilty to 10 counts of deception between 2014 and 2022 and he will be sentenced in October. It is understood Carey’s name will be read out but it is unlikely he will be represented by a family member as that practice of allowing a proxy when a former player is not in a position to take his place in the line-up in front of the Hogan Stand has been discontinued.

In 2017, Jim McGuinness’s young son Mark Anthony took his place in the county’s jubilee ceremony as the current Donegal manager was working in China with soccer club Beijing Sinobo Guoan.

However, there were no representatives of 1999 All-Ireland winners Pat Ryan and his selectors Wayne Sherlock and Brendan Coleman in last year’s event when they were busy preparing the Cork team for the final against Clare later that afternoon.

Led by captain O’Connor, the Kilkenny players of 2000 are organising a golf event in Callan Golf Club on Monday to raise funds for the costs associated with the event. This is the first of 11 jubilee events over the next 15 years.