'We're devastated, shattered'

All-Ireland SHC Final/Kilkenny reaction: In a side-room away from the open wounds of defeat Brian Cody is recounting the unbearable. Across the way are the Kilkenny players who with him have just walked through the aftermath of losing an All-Ireland hurling final. He has just been asked to take us through it again.

Occasionally he stares up at the ceiling, or down at the floor, trying to find some comfort. The Kilkenny manager so rarely lets his emotions show and he won't do it here. Defeat like victory is always dignified.

"Essentially I've just told them they've won three All-Irelands in the last five years," says Cody. "And that's a phenomenal achievement. I think it's fair to say that everything we've won we've done so with respect for the game and the association and the opposition. And we're going to lose the very same way." He pauses a moment, as if thinking of the two panel members Paddy and Richie Mullally, whose father died on the eve of hurling's great showcase.

"Obviously we're devastated, shattered. And we've two of our players going home to bury their father. The fact they were here today is just testament to the spirit in the whole camp. You don't buy that kind of loyalty. Their torture is worse than ours and our thoughts are with them."

Gradually Cody points to the moments that won and lost this All-Ireland. Kilkenny's failure to score from play in the second half. Cork's drive towards the finish line.

"In my opinion the best team wins the All-Ireland final. They've got 70 minutes to do it, and today Cork proved themselves the best team. But you'd never give up hope, especially with the players that we have there is always the potential of a goal. Henry Shefflin almost had one. It just didn't go over the line. That would have brought us back to a point, and a goal lifts a team in a major way. But the fact it was saved just lifted them further. But there are no arguments. We're not saying 'if only this' or 'only that'. Because there are no ifs."

Hunger is frequently noted as the turning point between victory and defeat. Kilkenny's hunger has needed to sustain three All-Ireland finals. Cork's is fresh from last year's defeat.

"I never believe that one team wants it more than the other," says Cody. "I know we wanted it as monumentally as anyone could possibly want it. Games just take on a life of their own when you're out there. But you only get the one chance to play it, and Cork took that chance.

"And we tried our damn hardest to win three in a row. We came to the final hurdle, having been knocked out of the Leinster championship. Cork were just too good for us today, but there's no shame in that."

The question of sustaining hunger after winning two All-Ireland titles in the past three seasons is then put to DJ Carey: "We gave it a good lash. At half-time we were a point up, and were still there with 15 minutes to go. And we went in there fresh. In a game like that the legs will always look tired when the game is going away from you. And it's the opposite if it had been going for us. It's a disappointing place yeah, but that's sport. We gave it our best, and unfortunately that wasn't good enough. We can have no complaints when we know we've been beaten fairly and squarely."

At 33 Carey is the oldest member of the Kilkenny side and the one who more than anyone is entitled to walk contently into retirement: "That's not something you talk about when you've just been beaten in All-Ireland final. It's not a road you want to go down whether you win or lose. That's for a later stage. But I feel this team is still plenty young to continue on.

"There's only myself and James McGarry over 30 on the team. So as a team I've no doubt Kilkenny will be back. That team won't become a bad team overnight. I'll certainly think about next year at a later date. If you're fit enough and good enough to play, but if you're not I don't think there is room for you at this level."

Cody approaches the same question about his future in a similar state of mind. "I don't think about it, to be honest. It's something I never would have considered before the end. But now the championship is over we'll see how life goes over the next couple of months and we'll see what happens."

It's clear just by looking at Cody the effort is starting to take its toll. He looks more than just a little weary as he puts words on the defeat.

"Well I'm in the old game a long time. I've sampled this feeling as a player before, and as a manager. And I've sampled the other side as a player and a manager as well. I don't think it was just about us missing chances. I'm sure people will have all sorts of theories about what should have been done. And of course there is no greater disappointment than losing an All-Ireland final. But, we've always won with dignity and we'll lose with dignity."