Before the introduction of the Kilkenny league and championship format in the mid 1970s and the all-county leagues, GAA clubs had only the knock-out championshi.
A look back to Brian Cody s appointment as Kilkenny boss in 1998 kilkennypeople.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kilkennypeople.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“There was never a game that we didn’t turn around and shake hands with one another and give one another a hug coming out of Croke Park.
“But when the game was on, it was ferocious. It was kill or be killed, and there was no relent on either side.
“And he was a wonderful player; he was a great ball-player and made of steel, and he had a great mindset to win. Like, he did an awful amount for the ’96 All-Ireland (win) for Wexford, and I think they’re underestimated, himself and Larry (O’Gorman). They talk about Tommy and JJ . . . they’re the Tommy and JJ of Wexford. And they had to come the hard route to it.
NOEL SKEHAN (Kilkenny)
He spent several years as No 2 to Ollie Walsh but when his chance finally came he was more than ready to step in. He became arguably the greatest ’keeper of all time, underlined by an All-Star haul which yielded seven awards between 1972 and 1983.
The secret of his success? I trained harder every year. Not by slogging around fields, but on squash courts, handball alleys and anywhere else I thought would make me sharp.
2. Brendan Cummins (Tipperary) 3. Ger Cunningham (Cork) 4. Davy Fitzgerald (Clare) 5. Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford)
RIGHT-FULL BACK
‘FAN’ LARKIN (Kilkenny)
Perseverance paid off. An All-Ireland winner in 1963, he was off the scene for a few years later in the decade before returning for what turned out to be a great run. All-Ireland titles rolled in and so too did All-Star awards – four between 1973 and 1978. Small in stature, his innate hurling instinct empowered him to deal with much taller opponents. He even had a spell at full-ba