Brian Cody has claimed there was a media 'witch-hunt' against Tommy Walsh this year. The Kilkenny manager has also hit out at what he perceives as a continuing agenda to influence referees against the four-in-a-row All-Ireland champions. A leading contender for Hurler of the Year, Walsh has been accused of playing on the edge by a number of pundits, and Cody was especially riled by the comments of Sunday Game analyst and former Waterford star Paul Flynn who, in previewing the All-Ireland final, said that how referee Diarmuid Kirwan handled Kilkenny would have a major bearing on the outcome. "I had listened to an awful lot of rubbish in the build-up to the game about refs, what they should watch Kilkenny do and don't do," Cody said. "The reality is that there is an agenda there the whole time for the past while about influencing referees against Kilkenny. The Tommy Walsh witch-hunt went on and Tommy Walsh rose above everything and proved the kind of player he is. "After keeping my mouth shut about it and to be in pretty good form after winning four-in-a-row, to go in (to the interview) and listen again about referees... "Paul Flynn had a 'super little' preview the week before where he thought it so important that the referee was so important, so I felt it was time to stop this. Cody said he could only "presume" that the agendas he claims exist are based on his team's remarkable success. Tweet

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