HOW CODY’S CATS SCRATCHED NINE LIVES IN TITLE RACE
It couldn’t last forever, but in the end it was death by a thousand cuts
PERSONAL a nd team records have tumbled like dominoes around Brian Cody’s ears since losing to Cork. Among the most intriguing is the fact that, having exited the Championship at the quarter-final stage, Kilkenny won’t play a game in Croke Park for the first summer since 1951.
Exactly what shape they’ll be in and what form the team will take when they next return is the big question. The end of an era?
‘I don’t think eras ever end, to be honest about it,’ replied Cody, his cards clutched tightly to his chest as usual after his side’s collapse against the Rebels.
But the feeling that the Cats have been slowly using up each of their nine lives has been strong for some time now.
THE FIRST CUT WAS
THE DEEPEST
AFTER claiming the 2011 All-Ireland title, the seventh of the Cody era, a stunning statistic was that Kilkenny had only lost six Championship games under him. Just two seasons on, that figure is already out to nine.
Time will surely bear out the significance of Galway’s Leinster f i nal win over Kilkenny last year. Galway essentially won that game by half-time when they led 2-12 to 0-4 and, in doing so, laid down a template of how to beat this ageing Cats team.
The brand of hungry, almost frenzied but controlled hurling that Galway displayed that day was akin to Kilkenny’s own performances in the 2006 and 2011 All-Ireland finals. It took a lot of quality and a large chunk of belief from Galway too, of course. But ultra-intensity was the key ingredient and, this year, Dublin applied the same template with equal success.
By the time Cork came along last weekend, the notion of Kilkenny as an unbeatable force had well and truly dissipated. And the formula for success laid down.
THE CRUSHING IMPACT OF
INJURIES
BACK in late March, Kilkenny beat Cork with a late scoring surge to secure their semi-final place in the Allianz League. They did so without Henry Shefflin, who missed the entire League, TJ Reid, Paul Murphy and Michael Rice.
Richie Power came on after an injury, while Cillian Buckley, Walter Walsh and Richie Doyle had spells out too. The problems carried on into the Championship. Against Tipperary, for example, Tommy and Walter Walsh played the game with injuries.
It was bad luck, yes, but for a team with high mileage, regular break downs are a natural consequence.
POOR RETURN FROM
FORWARDS
LAST week, Brendan Cummins pointed out that: ‘The day that all of those six [Kilkenny] forwards click, God help whoever they’re playing’.
The trouble is, they never did click. A mixture of injuries and poor form saw to that. Bar some fleeting wizardry from Walter Walsh, Richie Power and Richie Hogan, it was a barren summer. From open play, across their six games, Kilkenny averaged out at seven points per game. Against Cork, they managed just four.
DEFENSIVE FRAILTIES
KILKENNY’S defence can’t be excused in the post-mortem either. The first signs of difficulties were against Offaly when they leaked four goals.
It was put down to a rare aberration but, behind a midfield that Cody never quite seemed to settle on, they would be overcome on other occasions too.
Joe Bergin, ‘Dotsy’ O’Callaghan, Ray Barry and Pat Horgan all filled their boots at different times.
THE SHEFFLIN FACTOR
THE significance of being without Henry Shefflin for the main body of the season can’t be overstated. The pulse of any Kilkenny team can generally be taken by Shefflin’s progress.
Without him after his early exit in the 2010 All-Ireland final, they would lose to Tipperary. In last year’s drawn f i nal and replay against Galway, his personal brilliance hauled Kilkenny to glory.
Last Sunday, he was dismissed late lt in the first half and the team lost. All season they have lacked his unique influence. In truth, if it was still the League, he wouldn’t have played at all this summer as he regains fitness after a stress fracture in his foot.
CODY’S ILLNESS
IT’S difficult to say what effect, if any, Cody’s absence for around six weeks at the tail end of the Allianz League L had. hdA A couple l of fh hours after ft informing his players, a public announcement was made confirming a ‘pre-planned cardiac’ procedure.
In his absence, Kilkenny still won the League. Given the management circumstances, and the injuries that afflicted the team, it was an incredible achievement.
It will be interesting to hear what reference Kilkenny players make to the period in the coming months. KILKENNY required j ust four games to win the 2009 All-Ireland title. Last weekend’s loss to Cork was their sixth already this season — and they’d yet to even play at Croke Park.
A young Dublin team thrived in similar circumstances, building momentum over five consecutive weekends en route to Leinster success. Generally though, it was a
tough hand Kilkenny were dealt and perhaps one reason for their flatness against Cork.
UNSUSTAINABLE LOSSES
THAT 2009 decider is less than four years ago but Kilkenny have lost a serious amount of players from the team.
PJ Ryan, Michael Kavanagh, John Tennyson, Derek Lyng and Eddie Brennan all lined out that day but have since retired. Martin Comerford came off the bench and is gone too. So is Noel Hickey. That’s a vast hemorrhaging of talent which would hurt any team.
It should be noted that in the same time period, between the minor and Under 21 grades, Kilkenny have only won one All-Ireland, a minor in 2010.
THE SANDS OF TIME
TIME and tide wait for no man. Or Cat. There is no shame in the decline of a great team. It is simply one of the unfortunate inevitabilities of sport.
Against Cork, Kilkenny fielded five players who were 30 or over. The average age of the team is 27. Crucially, the elder statesmen are the iconic names that make this team tick.