BRIAN CODY HAS insisted that his full-back line mustn’t be ‘scapegoated’ for Kilkenny’s All-Ireland hurling final defeat to Tipperary, claiming it would be cheap analysis to do so.
Brian Cody with his players in the aftermath of Sunday's defeat in Croke Park. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
And the 11-time MacCarthy Cup winning Cats boss showed his famous determined streak by insisting the team generally will learn from the humbling nine-point defeat and bounce back.
Cody made a particularly intriguing remark at the team’s Citywest Hotel base yesterday when he claimed that, ‘there are players on our panel who haven’t been seen yet who will be top players, and quickly. You can rest assured of that’.
If it was a comment that hinted at a potential influx of young and rookie talent for 2017, Cody was also quick to praise his current players including full-back line members Paul Murphy, Joey Holden and Shane Prendergast who were under such pressure on Sunday.
They leaked 2-21 as a trio to Tipp’s lethal full-forward line, though Cody said he would be disappointed if supporters and commentators laid the blame for defeat upon them.
“I would certainly hope not,” said Cody. “They won’t be scapegoated by us. I would hate to think that would happen.
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John McGrath celebrates scoring his goal for Tipperary Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
“That’s the simplest thing in the world to do. It would be very, very cheap sort of analysis if that’s (what is said). I haven’t heard a single piece of analysis about it, I don’t know what anyone thinks.
“And at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks. I know what I think and that’s that we win together, we get beaten together, we attack together, we defend together and our full-back line have been heroic and were manful to the very end yesterday as well, as were all our players.”
Cody said he couldn’t use the loss of Michael Fennelly and Ger Aylward at various stages this year through injury, as well as the enforced retirement of Richie Power, as excuses for failing to beat Tipperary.
Michael Fennelly had to watch on in Croke Park on Sunday Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
“We can’t use it as an excuse,” said Cody. “Would you like to have everybody available? Of course, everybody would love to have everyone available.
“But it’s sport and it’s the way it is and the way the thing happens and it’s all part and parcel of the challenge. But make it very, very clear, we have no excuses about anything.”
But while accepting that his panel was weakened by the raft of injuries and retirements across the past two years, Cody smiled at the suggestion of a lack of strength in depth.
Brian Cody leaves the field as the Tipperary players lift the trophy James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“If we won the last two All-Ireland finals and if we were beaten in this year’s All-Ireland final with a poor panel, that’s fair going, that’s fair going alright,” quipped Cody.
“You’d have to wonder about how we do it, to be honest about it, because in reality it couldn’t be done.
“We’ve just been speaking about injuries, we’ve just been speaking about fellas who we could have had (available) but didn’t have so that’s a reflection of our panel and the reality is our panel has done this for us and got us here.
“And there are players on our panel who haven’t been seen yet who will be top players, and quickly. You can rest assured of that.”
Cody, in charge of Kilkenny since late 1998, said he had ‘no idea’ about his own future or that of his backroom team members or veteran players such as Eoin Larkin, Jackie Tyrrell and Michael Fennelly.
A dejected Jackie Tyrrell after Sunday's defeat Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
“I wouldn’t even begin to think about it,” he said. “The backroom team lads are outstanding but whatever they do, they do and what I do, I do and whatever the players do as well, they’ll get on with their lives. Who knows.”
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Brian Cody - It's 'cheap analysis' if the Kilkenny full back line is 'scapegoated'
BRIAN CODY HAS insisted that his full-back line mustn’t be ‘scapegoated’ for Kilkenny’s All-Ireland hurling final defeat to Tipperary, claiming it would be cheap analysis to do so.
And the 11-time MacCarthy Cup winning Cats boss showed his famous determined streak by insisting the team generally will learn from the humbling nine-point defeat and bounce back.
Cody made a particularly intriguing remark at the team’s Citywest Hotel base yesterday when he claimed that, ‘there are players on our panel who haven’t been seen yet who will be top players, and quickly. You can rest assured of that’.
If it was a comment that hinted at a potential influx of young and rookie talent for 2017, Cody was also quick to praise his current players including full-back line members Paul Murphy, Joey Holden and Shane Prendergast who were under such pressure on Sunday.
They leaked 2-21 as a trio to Tipp’s lethal full-forward line, though Cody said he would be disappointed if supporters and commentators laid the blame for defeat upon them.
“I would certainly hope not,” said Cody. “They won’t be scapegoated by us. I would hate to think that would happen.
“That’s the simplest thing in the world to do. It would be very, very cheap sort of analysis if that’s (what is said). I haven’t heard a single piece of analysis about it, I don’t know what anyone thinks.
“And at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks. I know what I think and that’s that we win together, we get beaten together, we attack together, we defend together and our full-back line have been heroic and were manful to the very end yesterday as well, as were all our players.”
Cody said he couldn’t use the loss of Michael Fennelly and Ger Aylward at various stages this year through injury, as well as the enforced retirement of Richie Power, as excuses for failing to beat Tipperary.
“We can’t use it as an excuse,” said Cody. “Would you like to have everybody available? Of course, everybody would love to have everyone available.
“But it’s sport and it’s the way it is and the way the thing happens and it’s all part and parcel of the challenge. But make it very, very clear, we have no excuses about anything.”
But while accepting that his panel was weakened by the raft of injuries and retirements across the past two years, Cody smiled at the suggestion of a lack of strength in depth.
“If we won the last two All-Ireland finals and if we were beaten in this year’s All-Ireland final with a poor panel, that’s fair going, that’s fair going alright,” quipped Cody.
“You’d have to wonder about how we do it, to be honest about it, because in reality it couldn’t be done.
“We’ve just been speaking about injuries, we’ve just been speaking about fellas who we could have had (available) but didn’t have so that’s a reflection of our panel and the reality is our panel has done this for us and got us here.
“And there are players on our panel who haven’t been seen yet who will be top players, and quickly. You can rest assured of that.”
Cody, in charge of Kilkenny since late 1998, said he had ‘no idea’ about his own future or that of his backroom team members or veteran players such as Eoin Larkin, Jackie Tyrrell and Michael Fennelly.
“I wouldn’t even begin to think about it,” he said. “The backroom team lads are outstanding but whatever they do, they do and what I do, I do and whatever the players do as well, they’ll get on with their lives. Who knows.”
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