Emotion plays huge part on special day for Kilkenny kingpins

On All-Ireland final day the big players need to step up to the mark and none rose higher than Eoin Cody for Shamrocks.

In the absence of the injured Adrian Mullen, new players needed to step up to the mark and Cody certainly did that in a man of the match display that saw him score 1-5 from play.

His first half goal proved critical in getting the nine time champions back into the game after a sluggish beginning and he knows how lucky he is to be part of this Shamrocks squad.

“It’s unbelievable, every All-Ireland victory is unreal and for us we are such a lucky group just to be in the last four All-Ireland Finals which is brilliant and to win three is just incredible for such a small club and it’s such a great group of lads to do it with.”

The All-Ireland success will bring some solace to a club that has been put through the wringer off the pitch over the last 12 months.

It’s something that’s not lost on Cody who tragically lost his uncle Paul Shefflin last March and he paid tribute to the former hurler.

“It’s been a very tough year off the pitch for us and even on the pitch we obviously lost the All-Ireland final to Ballygunner.

“I just realised today (Sunday) that the last game that my uncle Paul saw me play with Shamrocks was that All-Ireland final and it’s heartbreaking that it was his last game to see us play with the club.

“I just wish he was here, as well as many others who have passed from the club as what we’ve accomplished today is just unbelievable.”

The former Young Hurler of the Year also acknowledged that the seven point winning margin didn’t do justice to their gallant Ulster opponents.

“The scoreboard doesn’t really reflect the game as it was tit for tat there all the way with only a point or two in it the whole way,” Cody added.

“In the second half we got it out to three points but they came back to one again and it was only when the bench came on that we showed what a great panel we have as we finished strong thank god.”

The 22-year-old has already bagged three All-Ireland club medals but that’s only half the total of team-mates TJ Reid, Colin Fennelly, Eoin Reid and Mark Aylward. Like Cody, TJ Reid heaped praise on the defeated Dunloy side.

“It was a very tough battle and it was our fitness levels with Niall Lacey over the last year that probably gave us the edge at the end,” he said.

“It was a dangerous game as we could never get away from Dunloy as there was always only a couple of points in it and we never really opened them up.

“That’s all the credit to Dunloy though as they worked extremely hard and they played with a sweeper which made it difficult for us and they ran the ball out of defence.

“Our half backs then pushed up a small bit to create a few overlaps which we weren’t doing in the first half.

“At the end of the day though to be back here after last year, redemption is certainly sweet.”