Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody pictured at the launch of the Leinster Championships.
By Cian O'Connell
"Absolutely, we want to be one of three teams to come out of Leinster for starters, that's our first ambition," Kilkenny manager Brian Cody says on the eve of the 2019 Championship.
Injuries are bothering Kilkenny and Dublin ahead of Saturday's fascinating opener at Nowlan Park.
The second year of the round robin format carries intrigue with Cody recalling just how competitive Dublin were against his striped team at Parnell Park 12 months ago.
"Dublin are a top team," Cody states. "I'm saying that a long time. They are. A top team - serious, serious panel.
"Look at their League. They beat Tipperary in the quarter-final in Thurles. That was a statement enough for anybody who hadn't the realisation at that stage how good they are.
"You say we ran Limerick close last year, Limerick beat Dublin by three points in the League semi-final.
"Dublin are up there with the very best teams. Of course, we are playing them and you can say sure of course you would say that. But I believe it. It's the truth, the truth."
Cody, though, acknowledges just how hard fought the upcoming Championship will be.
"It's massively even," Cody remarks. "Munster is miles away from us because we don't have concerns about Munster, but looking at it now, brilliant teams too.
"We're looking at Leinster and to me anyone can beat anyone on a given day. I would always say that the team that are All-Ireland champions right now are entitled to the respect of being the best team in the country and God knows they proved that in the League as well.
"They are obviously the top team. But would they be thinking they are on a different level to anyone else? You can be sure they are not. Chances are there are six or seven teams saying to themselves, 'if we can get a run going we can win this thing'. Six or seven. Do we want to be one of those? Of course we do."
Brian Cody is looking forward to Saturday's Leinster Championship opener against Dublin at Nowlan Park.
A raft of retirements in recent years ensures Cody has been forced to integrate young players into the Kilkenny set-up.
How much encouragement is taken from the fact that Kilkenny came within a whisker of toppling Limerick, who subsequently claimed the Liam MacCarthy Cup.
"I would say we ran Limerick very close," Cody comments. "We didn't ever have them. They beat us because they were better on the day.
"Obviously with a few minutes to go we were in a very strong position, that's what happened and they are the facts. Does that put us way off the mark, I'd be thinking it doesn't.
"I always thought that anyway. Limerick went on to win the All-Ireland final very impressively so can we take anything from it right now? No. Except for the fact that it goes to show or whatever the challenge we have we just take it on.
"I'd always have huge confidence in our own players, our panel, even though right now we have injuries, I would still have massive trust in the players who are available to us. We were obviously competitive against Limerick last year."
Many lessons have been learned by Cody during two decorated decades on the inter-county circuit.
"Hurling has changed," Cody admits. "It has changed because different teams are setting up in different ways and that's everyone's entitlement.
"You have to play 15 v 15, how you set up is up to the person in charge of each particular team. Those challenges have been put in front of different teams the whole time.
"You could be straight forward 15 v 15 one day and the next day it mightn't be and the next day it's a tweak or whatever it is. Different tactics have come into the game, there is no doubt about that."
Kilkenny remain relevant.
