In the noughties, the narrative was clear, Cork were the left-wing revolutionaries while Kilkenny were the favourite sons of the establishment. The former patently hated the latter more than the other way around.
Henry Shefflin has a fantastic column in the Sunday Independent today about the only team with whom his Kilkenny side 'never managed an adult relationship' - the Cork team of the noughties.
The article focuses on that period when Cork and Kilkenny dominated the championship from 2003 t 2006 (save for 2005 when Galway pipped Kilkenny in the semi-final).
In 2002, the Cork and Kilkenny representatives on the GPA had agreed that the League final would be used as a vehicle for a protest. Shirts would hang outside shorts and socks would hang low during the pre-match parade.
Andy Comerford was the Kilkenny shop steward, their representative in the GPA. He began outlining the plan to them when Cody walked into the room.
Now, Cody was like a one-man thunderstorm. He was having none of it.
'First things first, no fucking way are we having any hand, act or part in this protest,' he growled. 'Our only job on Sunday is to win the game. I don't give a shit what anyone from outside this camp is doing!'
Andy tried to hold his ground. 'No,' he said, 'we're going with what was agreed.'
'Not a chance, Andy,' Cody barked, his voice cold as hailstones.
That was that, according to Shefflin. And he believes this was the source of Cork's hostility to Kilkenny. He characterised the Cork players as 'aloof' and 'superior' and wondered 'who the fuck they think they are'.
However, Donal Og's description of Kilkenny players as 'The Stepford Wives' of hurling (a reference that Shefflin didn't initially understand) riled him. It took 'The Stepford Wives' appearing on telly one night for Shefflin to take offence at the remark.
Watching (The Stepford Wives), the penny began to drop. I was bulling. I saw what Donal Og was implying. We'd no minds of our own. We just followed the leader. We were lapdogs. To me, he was out of order. Donal Og knew next to nothing about us as people. He was writing from a position of ignorance.
Shefflin's position was clear. It wasn't their fault that their county board was so simpatico, in comparison with the situation prevailing in Cork.
Read more: Joe Brolly On His Excitement About Kerry v Dublin... 'Dream Final My Arse
