Brian Cody interview: Keith Duggan finds the Kilkenny manager happy with his team's hurling philosophy but always working on their hunger

Brian Cody is still learning. That is what he says. "The fella who has this game cracked has not been born yet and he won't ever be born. In this game, all you can do is what you honestly believe is right and keep doing it. You pick players you have confidence in and can trust and you keep working with them. That is it."

It is late in the night at Langton's and Cody is in no rush. This is the calm before the storm. As he sees it, hurling holds no secrets. Just over 12 months ago, Kilkenny were set up as the untouchables of the game until the world unravelled against Galway. Cody was devastated and hurt, but only half surprised. He knows the way the game bites back.

"I think it is well documented that I believe we were out-fought by Galway last year. We didn't respond in the way a team has to respond to win in Croke Park. There were four or five points in it, but it was a more convincing defeat for us. Mentally, we were not as prepared as we should have been and I will certainly take responsibility for that."

Cody smarted over that loss. Kilkenny's ascent to the 2000 All-Ireland had been painful, with consecutive and unexpected losses in 1998 and 1999. For all the glorious skill and expression they have exhibited on the field, experience has moulded them into a cautious group.

In most of the matches they have entered over the past four years, a burden of expectancy has followed. They do not encourage or welcome it, but there is nothing they can do. Cody watched his team slump against Galway and had no problem in pinpointing himself as the chief culprit.

"No matter what happens, my responsibility is for the fire and spirit in a team on a given day. How the team plays is governed by the spirit that is bursting out of them on the day and that was not strong enough in that semi-final. So it has to be my responsibility. And it is something you build up. It is beginning to look like when you win an All-Ireland final that focus tends to drift away a bit and that is understandable."

Their objectives this year were crystallised by the loss to Galway and they achieved their objective of winning the league. Along the way, they brushed past Clare, a game that Cody reckons means little now.

"Possibly, we put more into the league preparation than Clare. But we had young players out that day who were hugely anxious to impress. We were very anxious to win and it was great for us, it brought us on a lot. But as regards the final, that game has gone way out the window. Clare may use it more than ourselves in the sense that we beat them, but it won't have any major bearing."

After watching Clare against Tipperary in early summer, Cody knew they would be in contention. "They were very good that day and could have won. They wouldn't obviously have chosen to lose and advance this way, but I would say they are happy with the way it went now. They got valuable games, it turned out to be wonderful preparation.

"Clare's defence is hailed as one of the greatest of all time and they are entitled to that. They epitomise what leadership is all about. They are all about 30-ish so they are probably in their prime now. I would say they are probably even better when they won the last two All-Irelands.

"The forwards aren't getting all that much attention, but they have found Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody over the league and that has been a huge bonus. And I haven't even mentioned Colin Lynch - everyone knows how he has been playing."

Kilkenny are back in an All-Ireland final exactly 12 months later than most people expected. Comparing their composed and classic performance against Tipperary in this year's semi-final with the flatness of a year ago, Cody just shakes his head.

"We knew we had to pick it up and I can't exactly pinpoint why, but we worked very hard. Players improved as the game went on. We had six weeks of a gap and it can work against teams that, but it gave players a chance to get on with training instead of drifting from match to match and to get a bit of club hurling done. So the combination worked right for us.

"We are learning as we go, if you are not, you are going around with your eyes closed. Sometimes you make decisions and it might go in your favour, other times it won't. And that could happen the next day, I know in my heart and soul. You just don't know."