CODY IS BACKING HIMSELF TO RETURN TO THE SUMMIT

THE glorious past and the sturdy present collide tomorrow when AllIreland champions Limerick truck into Nowlan Park . We’ve got Brian Cody’s fading empire in the blue corner. And in the red corner, John Kiely’s magnificent Limerick side who look like a team intent on claiming back-toback Liam MacCarthy Cups — and possibly even beyond. It is going to be brilliant to watch. But, as we do so, we’ll have Cody’s words from earlier in the week doing handstands in our heads. ‘I am still underage as a team boss,’ said Cody (above), meaning that despite 21 years of incredible success and sporadic defeat, the Kilkenny boss views himself as the equal of Kiely and all of the other wannabes looking to win an All-Ireland. It’s a little bit scary to hear Cody come out with that. Either the great man has lost a handful of his marbles, or he actually is thinking of serving an apprenticeship all over again and setting out to dominate hurling for second time. Cody is seeking to defy many things, including mother nature. We wish him luck, and we do not doubt his capability.