Joey Holden, Brian Cody and Kieran Joyce with baby Grace Mayo at Crumlin Children's Hospital yesterday. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
WHEN HE SAT down to speak to reporters yesterday at the Citywest Hotel in the wake of his 11th All-Ireland senior hurling title as Kilkenny manager, Brian Cody spoke passionately about the imbalance that exists between club and inter-county GAA players.
Cody was asked about how inter-county championship structures can be improved, relating to recent comments from Kilkenny forward Richie Hogan, who said ‘I hate it!’ when asked for his views on the current format.
The Kilkenny boss was careful to point out that while he doesn’t have the answers himself, adjustments need to be made soon for the benefit of players at club level.
“I’m probably the worst person to ask how it could be improved. I don’t know because I don’t think about how it can be done,” said Cody, whose side were 1-22 to 1-18 winners against Galway in Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final at Croke Park.
“I would like to see change definitely to it, there’s no doubt about that.
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“I’ve said it before. But it’s a bigger issue, because to me, essential to the whole thing has to be the club situation. We’re all here after the All-Ireland final and every person there yesterday, and me obviously as much as anybody, there’s a club thing there for all of us.
“Richie [Hogan] would love to get more championship hurling, of course he would. But club players would love to get more club hurling in the summer. And it’s not enough just to leave things as it is. The time to change in everything that you do is when you’re going really well and things are good and strong.
“Yesterday’s match was a great game, the previous semi-final was a great game and last year’s All-Ireland finals were great games. That’s the time to see what can you do better.
“The whole club thing… everyone’s crying out for it. If you dilute the genuiness or the absolute importance of the club scene, and people pontificate about it and they talk about it, but the All-Ireland championship has to be condensed into a shorter period of time in some way.
Brian Cody celebrates with the Liam MacCarthy Cup after Sunday's win against Galway. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“And again, I’m not the guy to give the suggestions, I don’t think about that. I’m really giving my opinion. I don’t have the answers at all for anybody. I don’t have the answers.
“I have a genuine instinct that club hurling and inter-county hurling, the mix is not right. We’re here today and Galway are over in their place and everybody has to go off and play club matches next weekend. That’s where our hearts are. But it’s tough going. And then they’ll play again the following weekend and the whole thing will be run off now.
“In Kilkenny the set-up is decent compared to a lot of counties, I would expect, but the people who have the ability and the responsibility to deal with this thing, they can’t just keep forgetting about it. They need to look at it.”
Cody also said he wouldn’t have any objection to the All-Ireland final being played as early as the beginning of August: “Absolutely. Definitely. No problem at all.
“Again, I’m not coming up with the solution, I don’t have the solution, but what I do know is this: the mix between club and inter-county is not as it needs to be, and club players are suffering. The mix is wrong, that’s all I can say about it.”
Regarding his future as Kilkenny manager, Cody said his recent retirement from his job as a school principal won’t have an impact on whether or not he decides to remain in charge of the All-Ireland champions in 2016.
Cody: “Not at all, it doesn’t change anything. Whether I was still principal in the school or not wouldn’t change how I fell about it. I was able to obviously marry both all along and it won’t have any influence on what I decide to do or not to do, whatever it is.”
Cody: 'The mix for club and county is wrong and club players are suffering'
WHEN HE SAT down to speak to reporters yesterday at the Citywest Hotel in the wake of his 11th All-Ireland senior hurling title as Kilkenny manager, Brian Cody spoke passionately about the imbalance that exists between club and inter-county GAA players.
Cody was asked about how inter-county championship structures can be improved, relating to recent comments from Kilkenny forward Richie Hogan, who said ‘I hate it!’ when asked for his views on the current format.
The Kilkenny boss was careful to point out that while he doesn’t have the answers himself, adjustments need to be made soon for the benefit of players at club level.
“I’m probably the worst person to ask how it could be improved. I don’t know because I don’t think about how it can be done,” said Cody, whose side were 1-22 to 1-18 winners against Galway in Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling final at Croke Park.
“I’ve said it before. But it’s a bigger issue, because to me, essential to the whole thing has to be the club situation. We’re all here after the All-Ireland final and every person there yesterday, and me obviously as much as anybody, there’s a club thing there for all of us.
“Richie [Hogan] would love to get more championship hurling, of course he would. But club players would love to get more club hurling in the summer. And it’s not enough just to leave things as it is. The time to change in everything that you do is when you’re going really well and things are good and strong.
“Yesterday’s match was a great game, the previous semi-final was a great game and last year’s All-Ireland finals were great games. That’s the time to see what can you do better.
“The whole club thing… everyone’s crying out for it. If you dilute the genuiness or the absolute importance of the club scene, and people pontificate about it and they talk about it, but the All-Ireland championship has to be condensed into a shorter period of time in some way.
“And again, I’m not the guy to give the suggestions, I don’t think about that. I’m really giving my opinion. I don’t have the answers at all for anybody. I don’t have the answers.
“I have a genuine instinct that club hurling and inter-county hurling, the mix is not right. We’re here today and Galway are over in their place and everybody has to go off and play club matches next weekend. That’s where our hearts are. But it’s tough going. And then they’ll play again the following weekend and the whole thing will be run off now.
“In Kilkenny the set-up is decent compared to a lot of counties, I would expect, but the people who have the ability and the responsibility to deal with this thing, they can’t just keep forgetting about it. They need to look at it.”
Cody also said he wouldn’t have any objection to the All-Ireland final being played as early as the beginning of August: “Absolutely. Definitely. No problem at all.
Regarding his future as Kilkenny manager, Cody said his recent retirement from his job as a school principal won’t have an impact on whether or not he decides to remain in charge of the All-Ireland champions in 2016.
Cody: “Not at all, it doesn’t change anything. Whether I was still principal in the school or not wouldn’t change how I fell about it. I was able to obviously marry both all along and it won’t have any influence on what I decide to do or not to do, whatever it is.”
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