What drives Kilkenny's players to keep coming back for more? According to selector Michael Dempsey they just follow Brian Cody's example.

The Cats have won nine out of the last 15 All-Irelands and, speaking to RTE Sport, former Laois footballer Dempsey credited Cody's 'passion' and 'enthusiasm' as key ingredients in their winning formula.

"We happen to be dealing with an exceptional bunch of players in terms of their attitude.

"Obviously, the culture and tradition of Kilkenny is very important. Players represent players who have gone before them and want to live up to that standard.

"And I suppose it's driven very much by Brian Cody, who is just an exceptional person and an exceptional manager. So the players take their lead from his passion and his enthusiasm.

"Training plays a part. We have to be conscious of the fact that players would have had injuries in the past [in] how we plan our training [with a view to] keeping them fresh.

"But it's basically down to the attitude of the players and it's down to Brian Cody, who just drives the players himself, and leaves no stone unturned.

"It's his example [which] is infectious. So you can call it management or you can call it leadership. But Brian is largely responsible for that freshness and that attitude and that hunger that still exists among the players."

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