Brian Cody, Kilkenny’s record-breaking manager, reacted strongly yesterday to the criticism directed at his side by Ger Loughnane, the former Clare manager.
While Kilkenny’s four in-a-row side blitzed all before them between 2006 and 2009, the current generation – who have won back-to-back All Ireland titles - has been questioned by Loughnane, who said he had no idea how such a “functional” team were chasing a third, successive Liam MacCarthy Cup.
“Ger throws out these things every so often, things that are controversial,” Cody said. “To be honest, I don’t even read these things but I think he said we are a functional team. That’s not a bad thing to be. I’d prefer to be functional than dysfunctional. I’m happy with the quality in our squad.”
That squad is now deprived of Michael Rice, the multi-decorated 32-year-old who was beset with hand and knee injuries in recent years, and who, last week, failed to make the final cut for Cody’s plans for the forthcoming season.
“He had a terrific career I suppose in the sense that injury robbed him of further opportunities, there’s no doubt about that,” Cody said. “He had a really tough time with injuries but he gave so much on the field for Kilkenny, particularly over the last few years, when his game time has been very limited. The opportunity was there to see if he could try and get himself up to that level again and he gave himself every opportunity to do so. His clubmate Richie Power suffered the same fate and that’s the reality of it.”
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In truth, Rice never recovered from an injury sustained in a tackle with Pádraic Maher, the Tipperary player, in the 2012 All Ireland semi-final, when the bone in his finger was smashed, requiring seven pins to screw it back together. He had just been nearing his best form when that injury occurred.
However, there is better news for Kilkenny following the news that Eoin Larkin, their former Hurler of the Year, has returned from army duty overseas. “Eoin is just getting back into it really, he has played one club match and obviously has a bit of catching up to do,” Cody said.
“But he has kept himself in good shape. His commitment is total and to get back to the kind of form that is needed requires serious intent. Eoin had that.”
The Kilkenny manager refused to get drawn into much debate about last weekend’s league final which was beset by defensive sweeper systems, turning the game into a drudge for the opening 45 minutes.
“It was a very tactical game,” Cody said,” between two, terrifically, skilful teams and while they cancelled each other out, I am still anticipating a very interesting game next Sunday.”
“I’d prefer to be functional than dysfunctional. I’m happy with the quality in our squad
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Cody added that he is unsure if the summer will pan out like that - with teams adapting mass defences instead of the flair and flamboyance that hurling is famous for.
“I just don’t know,” Cody stated. “That’s the prerogative for everybody in charge of each team: to come up with whatever way you want to play the game.” He laughed when it was put to him that TJ Reid had mentioned the possibility of Kilkenny employing a sweeper system themselves after the drubbing Clare handed them. “I must have a chat with TJ to see what he has in his mind there for that; he’s a shrewd tactician I’d say alright, so we might get a formative plan there. We’ll see.”
Cody to stick with same approach
Brian Cody says that he is making no great changes to his Kilkenny team and squad despite the heavy defeat they received at the hands of Clare in the league semi-final.
Instead the 11-time All Ireland winning manager is happy with Kilkenny’s traditional approach and style.
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“Our hand is fairly obvious, in terms of the strategy we go with and the players we pick,” he said. “We won’t be doing anything drastically different, I would think. And the same with everybody else; every management team wants to try and get the maximum ability from the players they have and we are no different, we will try and do the very same thing and we’ll see where it brings us.”