Cody pleased with Cats’ opening performance
Kilkenny’s quest to secure their first Leinster SHC crown since 2011 began in ruthless fashion at Nowlan Park tonight as they comfortably dispatched a struggling Offaly side with 26 points to spare – 5-32 to 1-18.
Speaking afterwards to Sky Sports, who were hosting their first ever live GAA game, Cats boss Brian Cody felt that a dominant opening spell was the key to his team’s comprehensive victory.
“I’m happy with the performance. Obviously it’s Championship, so you want to go out and you want to perform. You want to get the result,” he told Sky’s Damian Lawlor.
“We got on top I suppose early on. They (Offaly) looked very good the first 20 minutes or so. We worked our way into the game, and we got some very good scores.”
However, despite delivering their most inspiring display of the year to date, Cody was quick to downplay the overall significance of the win, and is already focused on a semi-final date with Anthony Cunningham’s Galway.
“The players worked hard. Tonight the game was just about getting into a Leinster semi-final, and that’s what we’re at now in two weeks’ time. We’re facing a very, very tough battle.”
There was much competition throughout the Kilkenny team for the man-of-the-match prize. The winner, in the end, was Ballyhale Shamrocks half-forward TJ Reid.
Reid, who was replaced after receiving a minor knock to his knee 13 minutes from the end, stated that the lengthy break following the Cats’ dramatic league triumph over Tipperary allowed them enough time to get themselves mentally prepared for their Championship bow.
“We’d a good victory in the league final. We had four or five weeks to get ourselves ready for Offaly. We had prepared mentally, 100%. We had trained very hard for this game, and it showed today that it paid off,” stated Reid.
After surrendering the Liam MacCarthy Cup at the quarter-final stage of last year’s competition, Kilkenny are hell-bent on forging a powerful challenge for top honours in 2014.
With several new additions to their panel, Reid believes that the hunger and freshness in the camp will help to keep everyone honest throughout the summer months.
“Last year was disappointing for us. As you know, we got knocked out in the quarter-final which is unusual for ourselves. We have big ambitions this year.
“This year we have an awful lot of new guys on the panel, and on the team there today. A bit of hunger, (and) a bit of freshness.”