Galway’s 1-24 to 3-17 defeat of Kilkenny yesterday, was the first time Kilkenny manager Brian Cody and Henry Shefflin have faced each other since Shefflin’s appointment as the manager of the Galway senior hurling team.
What we got was a game that lived up to the hype, and a post-match handshake that had pundits and fans discussing in detail and dissecting in slow-motion.
Was there tension involved in the interaction, or was it just competitive disappointment after a tough loss to rivals Galway that showed on Cody’s face?
Maybe people were too caught up expecting a hug and a long chat, between two men who won so much together and have shared so much history.
Neither Shane Dowling nor Derek McGrath believed Galway's winning free should have been awarded #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/dgJEb0p0nD
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) May 1, 2022
Speaking on the Sunday Game, former Limerick hurler Shane Dowling felt that the handshake was disappointing considering said history, and the recent tragic passing of Shefflin’s brother Paul.
If you were to read body language Des [Cahill] it looks disappointing if you ask me. Two legends of the game, if I wasn’t here tonight I’d have been going straight to Salthill for that reason alone.
“You can see the stare from Brian Cody, and you can nearly see Henry looking back at him as if he’s nearly disappointed, and I don’t know maybe we’re overthinking it Des, but Henry’s had a fairly hard time over the last couple of weeks, and I think considering what them two men have been through together.
“It looked disappointing but maybe we’re overthinking it.
In response to the incident, both Cody and Shefflin stated that there was no tension in the handshake.
Shefflin: “I didn’t notice any tension. I shook hands. For me, I suppose there’s a lot of different emotions. The handshake happened, I didn’t see anything in it.
“After last weekend against Westmeath the attention turned straight away to the Kilkenny game and that’s it. It’s done now. We can sit back and relax tonight and think of Laois then next.
“It was a unique opportunity me coming up here but today was a unique occasion. That’s it, it’s done. I’m glad that really hurling and what went on on the pitch was the best thing about today.”
Cody: “I have no idea what’s tense about anything to do with anybody else, because whenever we play a match as long as I’m involved with it, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with who’s in charge of any team.
“It’s got everything to do with who is on the pitch. The Kilkenny players were out there representing Kilkenny today, and I’d be very happy with the way they represented Kilkenny.”
Inevitably, people were comparing it to the infamously icy handshake between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy following Ireland’s win over Holland to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
Same energy. pic.twitter.com/e2e12Czl0E
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) May 1, 2022
However, it is impossible to know what was truly going on in the minds of Cody and Shefflin, and it is fair to say that their relationship is certainly not as frosty as the one between McCarthy and Keane.
See Also: Galway Beat Kilkenny After Two Minutes Of Mad Drama
