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Cody delights in Kilkenny's progression - 'The suggestion was that it wouldn't happen'

After losing their first two games of the league, Kilkenny are back in the league quarter-finals.

AFTER A STUTTERING start to the league, the Kilkenny machine is slowly cranking into gear.

The sod is beginning to harden, the clocks have gone forward and the Cats are beginning to find their form.

Brian Cody Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

They struggled to shake off the 14 men of Dublin for long spells of the second period, but the result (2-20 to 1-16) and performance would have left Brian Cody relatively satisfied as he left Parnell Park last night.

Early league defeats to Waterford and Clare are now firmly in the rearview mirror, and a league quarter-final against Davy Fitzgerald and Wexford looms next weekend.

In the aftermath of yesterday’s win in the capital, Cody indirectly referenced some of the criticism that came his way after that 13-point mauling by the Banner.

The lob-sided result in Ennis had some pundits declaring the well had run dry on Noreside, but Kilkenny turned it around with good three results to make the knock-out stages.

“The object I suppose, after below in Ennis there, I said our ambition was to get to the league quarter-final and take it from there,” Cody said outside the dressing room.

“The suggestion was that it wouldn’t happen so at least we’re there now.

“It’s Wexford now, obviously they’re on a serious roll. They’re on a great run. They achieved promotion very early on in their division, which obviously created a fierce momentum down there and that the way it’s going for them.

“They’ll certainly travel in style and I’m sure the Kilkenny support will be out as well, so it should be a decent crowd there.”

Conor Martin Kilkenny's young sharpshooter Conor O'Shea Ken Sutton / INPHO Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO

Cody was happy with the performance, but reserved special praise for Conor Martin, the rookie form the Emeralds club who posted 1-5 in a potent display at the top of the left.

“It’s great for Conor. He’s been on the panel a couple of years and he’s a very good hurler, always was. That’s going to be good for his confidence.

“We got a few lovely points at the start of the second half but they came back with the goal, and that brought them right into it. They were really strong the whole way through, but they’ve playing like that.

“Both of us wanted to win the game, it was seriously competitive, non-stop stuff. Obviously they were down a player for a lot of the game but they were really, really competitive.”

Plenty of positives for the Cats, but they did sustain a number of injuries in battle.

Padraig Walsh went to hospital after taking the full force of a sliotar to the jaw just three minutes into the game. He resumed after being examined by multiple physios, but didn’t return for the second-half and was subsequently brought for a scan.

“He’s gone to hospital so we’re just gone waiting for an x-ray,” said Cody. “(It was) a sliotar in the jaw so we’re hoping he’s okay.”

Richie Hogan was withdrawn after 53 minutes but it later transpired he has been struggling with a back problem.

“He’s struggling a little bit with injury at the moment. Richie had a serious back spasm during the week, he couldn’t train and it’s not easy to go out there then restricted. He has been having niggles a lot lately so hopefully he’ll get over all that.

“He has got (it) before, but he recovers quickly because he’s that kind of fella. It’s not simple to just go out there and play a game straight away after it.”

Cody also confirmed that Conor O’Shea departed the scene late on due to a hamstring injury.

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