Cody slips past tricky Shefflin question

The more things change, the more Brian Cody stays the same. For the 13th time as Kilkenny manager, Cody attended an All-Ireland hurling final press night, although it may well have been the first time, or last time, because there was no telling any difference.

He talked mostly about the present, deftly avoiding the future and the past, although he did suggest Henry Shefflin was now fit and able for 70 minutes of hurling: not that being fit and able necessarily meant Shefflin would start their All-Ireland final against Tipperary.

‘In great shape’ “For certain, he has 70 minutes in him,” said Cody

of Shefflin, the nine-time All-Ireland winner, who so far this summer has been playing a substitute’s role “He has 73 or 74 minutes in him. He most definitely has. He’s as fit. He’s in great shape. There is no doubt about that.”

Yet whether or not Shefflin would serve a better role as an impact substitute was something Cody would not reveal: “To be honest, I don’t even think along those lines.

“The team that will be picked is the team that we think is the best team to start. Whoever comes on, comes on. Obviously there is huge speculation about Henry. His career has lent itself to that.

“But from our point of view, we have a panel of players. No player is in a [different] category to anyone else. And that’s the way it has to be from a team point of view. Nobody appreciates that more than Henry himself.”

As for hurling itself, and some of the recent debate that it would be better served by the black card already introduced to football, Cody was adamant: the game doesn’t need any changing.

Excellent standard “Well I would be absolutely opposed to the black card coming in for hurling. Everyone talks about the quality of the game that is there now, and the standard is very, very good.

“After last year’s championship everyone was waxing lyrical about the whole thing as if hurling was in a terrific place. So, I mean, why would we need to tinker with it again? Is it because the black card is there in football?

“I certainly see absolutely no need for anything like that. I haven’t paid any attention to anything it might have done for football, because we’re hurling at the moment. And I think hurling is great, everything about it is very, very good, and we don’t need to tinker with it at all.”

That, it seems, includes the suggestion that hurling’s rule on steps needs to be addressed, given so many teams are apparently in breach of it.

“Well the rules are the rules, four steps, and that’s fine as it is,” said the Kilkenny manager.