Brian Cody wins accolades for ‘unbelievable’ tactics

It is not easy to encapsulate the latest reminder of Kilkenny's greatness. Then you hear Ger Loughnane, so long their nemesis, lay garlands at Brian Cody's feet following Saturday's replay victory over Waterford.

"What Cody did tactically was just unbelievable," Loughnane told Michael Lyster on RTÉ's The Sunday Game. "They were outfought in the middle third the first day, so what does he do? He puts [Eoin] Larkin, [Michael] Fennelly and [Walter] Walsh, three massive men, in the half forward line.

“His two best hurlers [Richie Hogan and TJ Reid)], which are really forwards, he puts them into the midfield. They would withdraw out the field, close down their defence and then let the ball in trying to get Colin Fennelly in a one- on-one with the Waterford fullback [Barry Coughlan]. Something nobody else has achieved but Cody did.

"There is just no limit to what that man can do and he does it when it is really needed for Kilkenny. And he pulled a new cat out of the bag in Liam Blanchfield. And it worked an absolute treat for them."

It ended with Cillian Buckley breaking ball for Paul Murphy to gather in traffic, hand to camán to hand again and on to Hogan for his late, last point.

‘Serious leaders’

“It’s surreal there the emotions inside, we’ve no doubt we’ve more work to do, it’s only a semi-final, I suppose,” said Buckley on departing Semple Stadium.

“We’re brought straight down to Earth there to know that the job is not done, but at the same time we’re after overcoming a big step there.

“We always know we have the ability to close out games, we have serious leaders there and we have lads putting up their hands.

“There’s nothing between the two teams and we just had that extra bit at the end.”

Of course, there is something between those two teams. Whenever somebody figures out what it is, Cody changes it to something else.