“Eoin Kelly wasn’t a bad auld hurler. Hopefully I can have half as good a career as that man”

Niall McIntyre

“We’re never gone until the final whistle blows.”

Eoin Cody says it because he believes it. And he proved it on Sunday afternoon when, with Ballyhale Shamrocks on a cliff-edge in Tullamore, he brought them back to the land of the living with a last gasp goal.

It was incredible. It was so typical of a club and of a county that, just when you start to write their obituary, they find their way through the rubble to rip up the script. Eoin Cody is only 21 but in many ways he is the embodiment of Ballyhale Shamrocks GAA club.

The IT Carlow player was speaking on Tuesday at the launch of the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup and what you’d have to notice is the passion. When it comes to hurling, either for Ballyhale, for IT Carlow or for Kilkenny, you can hear excitement in his voice.

“It was a great win, I suppose, but it was close to not being a win at all,” he says of Sunday’s escapades.

“We were caught by a hard-working team. St. Rynagh’s showed serious resilience to come back. I suppose we showed our character as well because we were up and they came back at us and we needed to pull out a draw in the last minute and win in extra-time. I suppose we showed that no matter what happens in a game we’re never gone until the final whistle blows.”

“I think it’s a core value in Ballyhale. There’s such respect for the club and for ourselves as well as the team we’re playing against. The game is never over until the final whistle blows.”

They could write the book on it.

Congrats to Eoin Cody from @BallyhaleGAA who, in matching the feats of Tipperary's Eoin Kelly, becomes only the second player to win the Young Hurler of the Year award twice.

Some future ahead of this man. pic.twitter.com/OdTjqbi2bs

— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) December 10, 2021

Some outsiders have been questioning if, just like the Munster club final, Ballyhale and Clough/Ballacolla would prefer few weeks off rather than going again this Sunday. On the inside, Eoin Cody is mad for road.

“To be honest, I’m happy enough myself to play again this weekend. I think everyone wants to play hurling and it’s unreal to be playing week in, week out. The more games the merrier.

“Especially with Christmas coming around the corner it’s nice to get it over and done with before Christmas.

“Now we have an opportunity to go and have a great Christmas. Go into Christmas knowing there’s an All-Ireland semi-final around the corner.

“We could be crying into our pints too, but hopefully now we have a chance to give ourselves, our families, the parish and everyone in Ballyhale a great Christmas. Hopefully we can give a Christmas gift to the parish by winning this match and lifting the spirits for an unreal Christmas.”

Mount Leinster Rangers pushed them all the way, as did St Rynagh’s and he expects Clough/Ballacolla to do the same. But these boys will be ready because they know how sweet is is to win.

“They’re not going to be afraid of us and we won’t be afraid of them. We’ll go out all guns blazing and we’d assume they will as well.

The catch 👌

The speed off the mark ⚡️

The dummy 🌪️

The change of hands 🔥

The shorten of the grip and the finish off the hurl 🌡️

That's some goal from Eoin Cody of @BallyhaleGAA pic.twitter.com/VZzvDBg42K

— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) July 4, 2019

In college, Cody is studying Sports and Business management and as a keen sportsman, he’s loving every second and every in-and-out of it.

“Sports and Business management, I’m in the second year of that. It’s a mixture of sports modules and the business side of it as well with economics, accounting, and marketing. It’s a brilliant course, I actually love it. It’s very interesting, especially being a sporty person, and I love the business side of it as well. To have the two of them is the perfect combination, I love it.”

His career is only in its early stages but having picked up his second Young Hurler of the Year award last Saturday, he’s moving quickly. And he’s enjoying every step of the journey.

“Eoin Kelly did it before. And Eoin Kelly wasn’t a bad auld hurler. Hopefully I can keep it going and have half as good a career as that man. It was disappointing not to get to an All-Ireland Final the last two years but when you look back on the years it’ll be nice to have those awards.”

The individual awards are coming and he thinks that, in Kilkenny, they’re not too far off the real holy grail.

“I don’t think this Kilkenny team is any better or worse than anyone else. I just think it all comes down to the day and whichever team works harder and gets the scores will win it. It’s as simple as that. I don’t think there are any gimmes in inter-county hurling at all, I think it’s all on the day.

“That’s the beauty of it. There’s no game going into it that you think you’re definitely going to win, especially with the Round Robin, there’s going to be some crazy matches this year and I can’t wait to be involved, it’s going to be unreal.”