No words but Cody’s hostile stare at Shefflin gives the game away!

Inside Track with John McIntyre

The contemptuous icy glare Brian Cody fixed on Henry Shefflin during their awkward post-match handshake at Pearse Stadium on Sunday spoke volumes for what he was thinking, even if no words were exchanged. Cody’s gait smacked of: “How could you do this to your own”?

In 20-plus years running the Kilkenny dressing room, their long-serving manager has always demanded loyalty, so to see a former player he helped win 10 All-Ireland senior medals in the opposition dug-out in Salthill would probably have gone against every principle Cody stands for as a proud Kilkenny hurling man.

Given that backdrop to Sunday’s Leinster Championship round-robin clash, this was a fixture Cody desperately wanted to win. He was highly animated on the sideline and challenged referee Colm Lyons afterwards over his awarding of the injury-time free which led to Conor Cooney dramatically winning the day for Galway.

To Shefflin’s credit, he made no issue of that frosty handshake at the end of the game. He kept his own counsel on the issue and, instead, focused on an outstanding success for Galway, which was backboned by a strong work ethic, especially up front where the men in maroon harassed and harried themselves to a standstill.

The Kilkenny defence has rarely looked so uneasy in possession. Paddy Deegan and goalkeeper Eoin Murphy – two of their most dependable players – were spooked into making mistakes that were so unlike Kilkenny. The Cats naturally never threw in the towel, but such was Galway’s level of intent, the Leinster champions were often forced to play off the back foot.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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