The best of enemies.
Very little ever seems to upset Brian Cody but one irritant that continues to get under the Kilkenny manager’s skin is Galway.
This Sunday, the legendary Cats boss is set to a repeat dose as the Connacht side look to upset the All-Ireland holders in Croke Park.
The final, in 2012, will be to forefront of the the minds of many GAA fans, including that of former Kilkenny goalkeeper David Herity, who started both the draw and replay that year.
He chatted to us about life on the sidelines, TJ Reid and the prospect of yet another drawn All-Ireland final.
How do Kilkenny feel playing Galway rather than Tipperary?
Coming into the game, and before the semi-final, I would have thought that if we were playing Galway it would be a game that we would have won comfortably enough.
But then you see what Galway did to Tipperary, and the game before that against Cork, and even the replay against Dublin. It seems that their one and only blip this season was the Leinster final against Kilkenny.
That day they were in it for long periods but then they just seemed to fizzle out a bit. With 15 minutes to go it was pretty dour and the game ended very flatly.
There was no bite that day but now they have belief back and it will be a different animal that will be coming out in Croke Park on Sunday.
Kilkenny have such an impressive record against Galway, 2012 apart. Surely everyone is more confident than facing a Tipperary?
They are the team that consistently has caused Brian Cody problems. They seem to raise themselves to play Kilkenny and they always believe they can beat them too.
Everyone has war wounds from Galway and knows what they are like in full flow. They destroyed us in 2012 and that YouTube clip of them hammering our puck-outs isn’t going to be forgotten.
Will both sides go 15-on-15?
Well Kilkenny will start the fifteen players and they will go man-for-man and play to their strengths. They adapt to whatever the other team does. Waterford tried to play a sweeper and Kilkenny did the same while the forwards will always work hard for breaks.
Brian never wasted too much time in trying to counteract the opposition – he just concentrated on his own strengths.
Galway won’t be really able to fire anything new at Kilkenny, but they will have to be more mobile than in the Leinster final. They were so static in that game, but in the win over Tipperary it was all quick darts around the pitch to keep defenders on their toes.
In 2012 Joe Canning ended up around the half-forward line with JJ Delaney for company and that kept JJ out of the game.
Galway might try and drag players out of position and run at the heart of the defence.
What can Galway do to prevent TJ Reid doing a ‘Seamus Callanan’ on the full-back line?
Galway have seen the damage that a big man on the edge of the square can do. I imagine that over the last three weeks it’s been a key issue at training. There is no way that TJ Reid will be allowed at the edge of the square to do the same damage as Seamus did.
Who Galway do put on TJ is the real question because anyone who has had the misfortune to mark him knows how good he is in the air.
I played behind the likes of Noel Hickey who was excellent at doing enough to upset the full-forward and let the ball run through to the keeper.
I thought the last day between the full back Hanbury and Mannion, they just tried to hurl Callanan too much and he had too much skill for them.
I expect this time a lot more man-handling of TJ if he is on the edge of the square and more ball running through to Colm Callanan, who will have to be on his toes to any breaking balls.
Will the Kilkenny retirements be felt on Sunday for the first time?
Well there is over 100 championships ‘caps’ gone from the defence even already if Jackie doesn’t play because you’re missing Brian Hogan, JJ Delaney and Tommy Walsh, so that’s huge.
Then you have lads coming in for their first ‘real’ All-Ireland in Ger Aylward and Shane Prendergast and of course Joey Holden, so it will be interesting so see how they cope.
Last year even when Richie Power got injured there was never a panic or when when Michael Fennelly got injured.
This year maybe there is a little bit of apprehension that if someone does get injured do we have someone to replace him.
Richie Power hasn’t played a game all year – can he really start an All-Ireland final?
Richie was one of the main reasons we won last year to be honest. He came on against Limerick when they were throwing everything at us. If he is available to come on that will be a huge boost and John Power as well from last year will have picked up great experience.
Power is key, and if he comes on he has the ability to unlock the defence and to switch between TJ Reid. He could do serious damage.
How will you feel at 3.30 on Sunday now that you’re retired?
I thought I’d find retirement worse but I was out injured at the start of the year and I didn’t do any hurling and they are the tough months.
It’s been unusual watching them and it’s going to be strange going up Sunday and the build up is odd.
It’s been very low-key and very little hype. When you’re playing you’re conscious of getting ready but it will be unusual to see them in a final. It feels now that I’ve only just retired and the last couple of months I’m away from it.
How is it going to go?
If Galway are to win they have to be leading all the way through. They won’t win it coming from behind. If Kilkenny get a lead they will grind it out and win by five or six.
Galway have to lead at half-time and maintain it.
I think Kilkenny will have enough and I think it will end 2-21 to 1-19 and Kilkenny to hold on for the win.
