Although Kilkenny may be favourites for Sunday's All-Ireland Hurling semi-final clash against Galway at Croke Park, manager Brian Cody is wary of the threat posed by the Tribesmen. "Everybody is well aware of the talent that is in their senior team and it’s going to happen for Galway, they are going to start winning All-Ireland Finals again but I just hope it’s not this year," he said.
The Cats produced some outstanding displays during last year's All-Ireland campaign, culminating in their comprehensive defeat of fellow Leinster team Offaly in the final. However, Cody believes last year's performances will have no baring on this year's campaign.
"Last year went well for us when we won the All-Ireland Final. Lots of people were wondering if we could do it having lost two previous All-Ireland finals but we won it. However, that’s gone out of the window now and it does nothing for us at this particular moment in time the fact that we are the All-Ireland champions because we want to win the one that’s up for grabs now," he explained.
However, Cody is not eager to tempt fate by discussing the prospect of reaching their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final. "We’re not even thinking about the All-Ireland final. We have to play Galway next Sunday in the All-Ireland semi-final. There’s no All-Ireland final for the losers of that game, one of us is going to be knocked out on Sunday but we are going to do our damnest to be sure we’re still there," he said.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
