Brian Cody wants to do away with all cards in the game of hurling.
The legendary Kilkenny boss feels that the physicality of the game is being lost due to the amount of red and yellow cards being issued by referees, so he wants them ousted from the sport entirely.
Former hurler Eddie Keher said last week that that unnecessary sanctions imposed on players ‘full of honest endeavour’ were having a negative impact on matches.
Cody agrees, telling RTE Sport: “I would prefer if they did away with cards. Eddie Keher brought out a suggestion some time back.
“It is worth looking at for sure and contemplating. He was a stylish, elegant player who was massively skilful. He has a huge passion for the game.
“He would not be bringing out something without really considering it and thinking what would be the best for the game. I think it is certainly that is very productive rather than going further with different colour cards.
“He would have benefited from massive protection on the field of play from any kind of physical involvement. One of the great skills in the game is the physicality of the thing and getting in there where a fella has a hurl in hand and being able to contest at close quarters and using your body and all of that.
“Winning ball in tight situations and all of those things, they are the things that separate the real from the ordinary hurlers. The stylists like Eddie Kerr and Henry Shefflin, also Pa Horgan who was a victim of the game this year as well, were outstanding and there are so many of them for many counties, they are not interested in the game changing or messing with rules or anything like that.
“I don’t understand it or why they are trying to do it.”
Cody went on to claim that ‘dirty play’ did not exist in the game, before qualifying the statement by admitting that a minority of players (sniff*Joe Canning*cough) may ‘overstep the mark.’
“Physicality is confused with dirt. There is no dirt in the game. If there is, it is taken apart by television cameras and such like. It can’t exist. It is not something that that is not part and parcel of the game.
“Occasionally you will get players that overstep the mark. There are rules there to deal with that. It should be left at that. It is a super game we have.
“If you try and develop it into a non-contact sport, which they will claim is not happening, but in reality they are veering more so towards that, whoever they are.
“It is not healthy.”
