IN THE general mood of goodwill and happiness floating through the Kilkenny quarters in Croke Park on Sunday evening, one moment stood out.

In the press conference room, Brian Cody was in the middle of answering a question when the door opened and Eddie Brennan appeared. He leaned against the wall and listened to the manager’s voice. When Cody spotted him, he pulled back a vacant chair beside him and said, to general laughter: “Come in here, Eddie. I’ll pick ya again.”

In retrospect, the selection of Brennan can be pencilled in as yet another shrewd judgment from Cody. Brennan played excellently for an hour, setting up the goal that defined the match, harrying the Tipperary defenders and offering the kids guidance and leadership that comes with having played in seven successful All-Ireland finals.

Little wonder he got such a generous ovation when he left the match with 10 minutes to go. But had the match gone Tipperary’s way, Cody’s decision to return to Brennan would have come under fierce scrutiny. Brennan knew that and the delight of being selected came accompanied with a pressure to prove Cody right.

Before the team was named, Brennan hardly dared to believe he might be in the running for a starting place. “You are hoping against hope. The lads said at training, ‘you’re going well’ or whatever. But always over the years I couldn’t relax until I saw my name on the team sheet. I suppose you cherish that and you never lose sight of what a privilege it is to start. When you are sitting in the stand, it is a frustrating place.”

That Brennan has retained the rookie’s tingles at the possibility of starting an All-Ireland final says it all. Maintaining that level of personal ambition and discipline through a decade of extraordinary success cannot be easy. But to maintain it when you are no longer featuring on the starting team is more extraordinary. It is no secret life-long starters find it tough to adjust to supporting roles. But Kilkenny have bought into the belief it is all about the panel.

They keep repeating it and this year more than ever, it was apparent. Brennan. James Fitzpatrick. TJ Reid. Glittering names watching the parade from the substitutes bench.

“Brian hit the nail on the head with the work rate and that we are a team and a panel. You are probably sick of us saying that over the years but that is what it is about. A lot of our lads are lucky to have a lot of skill and are well able to hurl – no more or less than the Tipp lads. What it ultimately comes down to is the hard work and graft.

“That filters through the team and that is what made the day fairly special. We saw last year Tipp worked harder than us and were deserving of their win. So we saw what Dublin did to them (in the semi-final) so we said: look, we are going to have surpass Dublin’s work rate. And thankfully it worked out for us.”

Kilkenny prepared for this year’s final in the unusual position of being outsiders. They were able to prepare quietly and in relative seclusion and the mood in Kilkenny was of a county crowd travelling to Croke Park in pensive mood. For the players, though, the game was evenly poised in their minds.

“You look at Tipp and they are strong all over the field,” Brennan acknowledges. “But so are we. Jackie Tyrell is one example. Not many people would like to be following Lar around the field with the form he has been in for the last three years. I think Jackie held him scoreless. That was a big thing. Lar is a big player for Tipp. Same with Eoin Kelly. And I think Tipperary’s return from play were fairly low. That takes discipline as well. The easiest thing to do is slap in and foul a fella.

“To maintain the discipline and wait for the ball to be shown – there were a couple of great flicks from JJ and Tommy and Paul Murphy, in his first All-Ireland, showed unbelievable maturity under tremendous pressure in the second half.”

They are not in the business of reviewing their achievements but in years to come, the 2011 All-Ireland win might be the most special of all for this team. For Brennan, it was the perfect conclusion to a summer where he toiled in the shadows. Cody wasn’t joking. He might just pick him again. Either way, Eddie Brennan seems happy to contribute however he can.

“Look, I can throw the cliché about the team but it’s true. I have been lucky to be on the other side of the coin for a long time and starting. The stint in the stand is the hardest place to be. Subs on any team will tell you that across the country. When the chance comes, you take it both hands.

“TK Reid was shocking disappointed to be left off the team. But he came in and if he wasn’t tuned to come in with a good attitude, he wouldn’t have contributed and he did contribute handsomely. So it is about being given a job to do and when you are not able to do any more, let someone else in to steer it home.”

Big game watched by 1.1 million viewers

LAST Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final attracted the second highest ever TV viewership for an All-Ireland hurling final, peaking at 1.1 million viewers in the final minutes of the match.

An average audience of 971,000 viewers tuned in to the gripping game from throw-in to final whistle on RTÉ.

It was the highest rating sports event on television this year so far.