One of the major talking points from Kilkenny's 2-23 to 1-21 win over Dublin was runner Greg Kennedy bizarrely intercepting a TJ Reid free in the first half, which could yet land him in hot water.
“TJ could have tapped it over the bar obviously but he was thinking ‘goal opportunity’... so I wasn’t happy about it,” said Kilkenny boss Brian Cody.
Dublin's Mattie Kenny attempted to defend his right-hand man, saying: “Greg is a real top class sports guy.
“He assured me it was just a reaction when the ball came over his head.”
Cody played down the key switches that helped his Kilkenny side to another comeback victory.
Kilkenny 2-23 Dublin 1-21: TJ Reid tour de force inspires Cats to win over misfiring Dubs
Six points down at one stage in the first half, the Kilkenny defence was in trouble having coughed up two penalties – from which Dublin defender Sean Moran scored 1-1 – and the visitors might have got in for at least one other goal.
But the 1-13 to 0-12 deficit at half-time was manageable and a second half tour de force led by Reid, who hit two second half goals to take his final tally to a mammoth 2-12, carried the day for Kilkenny.
Cody rejigged his defence for the second half with Padraig Walsh moving to centre-back and Huw Lawlor dropping to full-back after a difficult first half.
Cody said: “They benefited the team I suppose and sometimes you do things and they work, they mightn’t work.
“It wasn’t about that, it was about everybody on the field just lifting their game and that allowed everybody to settle that extra little bit.
“There were some very, very good performances but I think again it was the work that was done by every single player on the field.”
Kilkenny had a crippling injury list coming into the game but Cody insisted: “We’re never short. We were guaranteed to start with 15 players, 15 Kilkenny senior hurling panelists who we would have absolutely total confidence in and I think they showed tonight why.”
Moran’s failure to find the net from his second penalty shortly before half-time was a blow for Dublin as a second goal at that stage could have been fatal to Kilkenny’s chances.
“Kilkenny got a goal and from that we started going too direct and too route one and that gave their backs a chance to mop up the possession and build out,” said Kenny.
