Ger Loughnane acknowledges that Brian Cody has made few mistakes during his time in charge of Kilkenny but he does believe that the 62-year-old made one earlier this month.
Cody was ratified for his 19th season in charge of the Kilkenny hurlers on November 16th. It is an opportunity which Loughnane thinks Cody should have rejected.
His rationale, expressed in his Irish Daily Star column, is that for Cody to be a true great, he needs to leave a legacy - a team which can go on to win All-Irelands. Loughnane thinks that Cody had a chance to do that this winter.
The mistakes in staying on himself.
I'm surprised that no journalists have been rung Cody up and asked him the very pressing question: why do you want to stay on?
Cody's place in the annals of the GAA is already set in stone.
Not only is he hurling's greatest manager of all time, but you could make a strong case for Cody being the greatest hurling personality of all.
Does he now think that he's indispensable to Kilkenny, that he owns the job?
For Cody, his reputation would be further enhanced and totally without blemish if, on his leaving, Kilkenny remained a dominant force.
Loughnane thinks that a new manager winning the All-Ireland with Kilkenny would bring a renewed sense of excitement to the county along with long-lasting satisfaction for Cody knowing that the culture he has created will thrive in the future.
The two-time All-Ireland winning manager feels that the legacies of great managers such as Sean Boylan, Mick O'Dwyer and Alex Ferguson were tarnished by their failure to leave teams which were capable of winning titles in the years following their departure.
We also got what must be number 403 in Loughnane's series of unnecessary digs at the Galway hurlers.
If things fall apart when any person in charge leaves, it's a measure of their failure.
Winning two of the last three All-Irelands with the players Cody had at his disposal was a remarkable feat, even if one of these was due to a win over Galway, surely hurling's biggest big day chokers.
Someone should compile a book of Loughnane digs at the Galway hurlers. It would make the perfect Christmas gift for the Galway hurler in our life.
