Masters of their craft do battle

THE similarities between them first. The two men were defenders by trade and very good ones, the older of the pair being what the reporters of yesteryear liked to term “a veritable colossus” in his under-age days.

Both of them lifted the MacCarthy Cup as an All-Ireland-winning captain; the younger one did so twice. It was always anticipated that the latter, being the leader of men he so patently was, would go on to become a manager; the other gent, however, was plucked from nowhere to become an intercounty boss and, as if to demonstrate that occasionally you just never can tell, has gone on to become an absurdly successful one and a national personality into the bargain.

Brian Cody and Anthony Daly. So similar and so utterly different all at once.