KILKENNY MANAGER BRIAN Cody admitted that his side were fortunate to lose by just four points in yesterday’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1A opener against Waterford.
Last year’s All-Ireland winners suffered a 0-14 to 0-10 defeat to the reigning League champions in difficult underfoot conditions at Walsh Park.
Cody’s side also finished the game with 14 players after Colin Fennelly was shown a second yellow card with four minutes left to play.
It was a good start for Waterford, however, who recorded their first win against their neighbours in seven years. Derek McGrath’s men hit 18 wides over the course of the 70 minutes so their margin of victory could have been much greater, according to Brian Cody.
“It was tough going, heavy conditions. The better team won the game, no doubt about that. And to be fair, Waterford had a lot of wides. It could have been more comprehensive on the scoreboard really,” Cody told Newstalk’s Oisin Langan.
Yesterday’s game was Kilkenny’s first of 2016 so Cody knows his team have plenty of catching-up to do. The Cats will aim to rebound when they welcome Tipperary to Nowlan Park on Sunday afternoon (2.00pm).
Cody said: “Look, it was our first game. We had no game of any kind in preparation for it. We had no challenge match, we had no Walsh Cup match, we had nothing at all. Match fitness just doesn’t happen straight away.
“We lost by four points, could have lost by more, but the effort was good. We’re disappointed to lose it, there’s no doubt, because we’d love to win it, but at the same time, we realise we’re in the real world. We don’t just click our fingers and start winning matches.
“We’ll work ahead. Obviously the matches will come thick and fast now; Tipperary next Sunday. It would have been grand to get two points to start off but we haven’t got them so we’ll just keep going.”
H/T: Newstalk Rewind Podcast with Oisin Langan
Newstalk Rewind / SoundCloud
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