Offaly Vs Kilkenny Leinster Hurling Championship

[Bord na Mona man]

Henry Shefflin will watch from unfamiliar territory on Sunday

Kilkenny star hopes to be back for the business end of the championship

The king is sidelined and the pretenders to the throne are, if not yet lining up, at least shuffling into position. On Sunday, a foot injury will deprive Kilkenny of their talisman when Henry Shefflin will watch from unfamiliar territory as his team-mates take on Offaly in the Leinster championship.

It constitutes the first championship game Shefflin has not played in since making his debut in 1999, a sequence of 62 successive games that has yielded nine All-Ireland winning medals and the status of hurling royalty.
Shefflin, who injured initially last December and then again last month in damaging his metatarsal just as he was regaining fitness, is not yet in the mood to abdicate. Sunday’s opener and perhaps the rest of the provincial campaign may be an elusive dream, but he is fully intent on resuming his position on the team come the business end of the championship when the days start to shorten. He’ll be back.

“I was in to see my surgeon (on Monday) and he’s happy enough with the progress. He told me it would be six weeks with a stress fracture and that’s what it’ll be, before I do any training. I know it’s slow and that’s the diagnosis.

“The concern with a stress fracture is that you go back and do too much on it too quickly and it just reoccurs. It’s definitely four, five, six weeks away at this stage,” admitted Shefflin, who was speaking in Croke Park yesterday at the launch of Centra’s fourth year as an official sponsor of the All-Ireland hurling championship.

Shefflin remains positive. “Once you’re doing something, going to the gym or pucking the ball against a wall. The year is not gone from me and, please God, Kilkenny can be still there (once he regains fitness). I can’t do too much, because if I do too much I’m going to set it back. It’s a balancing act that I have to get right.”

“Obviously it will feel a bit strange (not playing), I’m going to be itching to get out there. But, as I’ve said, I’ve known for a while. Sunday will be the first time to be experiencing it so I don’t know how I’ll react . You’d love to be playing, but I’ve been lucky to get so many up.”

Part of set-up
Come Sunday, Shefflin – although not playing – will be very much a part of the set-up. He will travel on the team bus and crowd into the dressingroom where Brian Cody, not long back from heart surgery, will talk the talk.
“Everyone was delighted to see him back, I suppose it just feels normal again to have him back there.”
If a Kilkenny team without Henry Shefflin in the championship team list is an unusual happening, there will be no change in the approach that the Cats will bring to their visit to Tullamore.

“I think it’s going to be a very tough championship. The Leinster championship alone, if you look at the way things are going to go if it pans out, three seriously tough matches and this first match on Sunday is going to be as tough as any of them.
“We have a great time for Offaly. I remember playing them when I started out my career (in 1999) when Brian Whelahan was still playing. It’s going to be a tough test, themselves (Offaly) and Wexford. I’d definitely know from my past experiences, they are a very strong traditional county, especially Dublin going down to Wexford’s back yard (on Saturday) and we going up to Offaly’s back yard. It makes an awful difference to a team that might be seen as underdogs, to have that in your own back yard, the atmosphere that creates and the buzz it will give those teams will be massive.”

To back up his view that Offaly won’t be any pushover, Shefflin makes the point that Offaly teams have contested the last two All-Ireland club finals and “not the traditional teams we’d expect from Offaly, so they can hurl.

“They are a great county for what they do in football and hurling. It’s going to be a tough test . . . for Offaly, it’s a massive opportunity, a big game.”


http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/henry-s ... -1.1418283

[Bord na Mona man]

Shefflin takes the art of buttering up the rank outsiders to new levels!
The report doesn't mention if he kept a straight face during this.

[DAF]

Will tickets be on sale the day of the match in around O'Connor Park?

[Kevin]

Shefflin takes the art of buttering up the rank outsiders to new levels!
The report doesn't mention if he kept a straight face during this.

Must have been a phone interview. No way he'd be able to keep a straight face.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I'll stick my neck out and say they will. That's how I plan to purchase mine anyway. And it won't be a sellout. They're not going to go locking people out by not selling tickets to people.

Do arrive on time if you intend buying a ticket on the day. Naturally if everyone arrives at the one time (ie, at 1.50pm) queuing will ensue.

Will tickets be on sale the day of the match in around O'Connor Park?

[Bord na Mona man]

Shefflin takes the art of buttering up the rank outsiders to new levels!
The report doesn't mention if he kept a straight face during this.

Must have been a phone interview. No way he'd be able to keep a straight face.

Shefflin after hanging up!

[onthefence]

Any word on the team or when is it been named. Any injury concerns heard Del is out and Cleary is doubtful.
Have we any hope or are we just hopin we can keep it to within 10 points.

[bracknaghboy]

Can anyone confirm if this game is still going ahead or not. I know there is a sandwich competition taking place in the vicinity of O'Connor Park on Sunday but I've heard nothing about this proposed hurling match since the draw was originally made last October. Its starting to resemble a Division 4 club football league game fixed for a Sunday morning and you've no idea a hour before hand if it'll go ahead or not.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

Team Announced.

One really wonders what Paul Cleary must do to start.
Many strange selections - one hopes there's an element of the dummy about it.

[jimbob17]

What is the team announced GDFTP? Heard Cleary was out injured the other day so probably not considered. id say he'd have been in if he was ok at all in fairness as he'd be one of our better lads....

[Plain of the Herbs]

This has to be a joke. There's a whole chunk missing between 4 and 7 though they still have named 15 men. Expect all-out attack. Blitzkrieg. no need for a defence. You ain't seen nothing yet.

The team as announced is -

1 James Dempsey

2 Chris McDonald
3 David Kenny
4 Kevin Brady

5 Rory Hanniffy
6 Ger Healion
7 Cathal Parlon

8 Conor Mahon
9 Dermot Mooney

10 Colin Egan
11 Brian Carroll
12 Ciaran Slevin

13 Shane Dooley
14 Joe Bergin
15 Sean Cleary

Or perhaps this is the team for making sandwiches.

[kingscounty]

1. Dempsey 2.Mcdonald 3.Kenny 4.Kevin Brady 5.Rory Hanniffy 6.Ger Healion 7. Cathal Parlon 8.Mahon 9.Dermot Mooney 10.Colin Egan 11.Brian Carroll 12.Slevin 13.Dooley 14.Bergin 15.Sean Cleary. Few strange positions picked,Brady corner back could be caught for pace, Carroll centre forward must be a plan to try and run Hogan and hit high ball down the wing to Egan who is good ball winner, or Carroll will just go midfield and Mahon to centre forward. Parlon at wing back filling in for Del , Rigney is a huge loss from the panel and could have done a job in the backline. Really looking forward to the game Sunday , to be the best we have to beat the best so might aswell get it outa the way early in the year Best of luck to the lads and hope to see O Connor Park packed . BTW whos the ref for the game

[jimbob17]

Brady is hardy in fairness and probably lined up for man marking job. Surprised to see Hanniffy and Parlon as wing backs as i thought Hannify would be better in centre or middle of field while Parlon would be more used to forwards. It could be a ploy. Delighted to see Mahon at centre field as he is not a scorer yet can be very effective and good for tracking runs which will be important. Mooney is athletic too and well able to run and has played here plenty of times before at other levels though he'd be more used to half back..... Carroll at centre forward could be a master stroke as he can score, is mobile enough and would have a few tricks in his bag for Hogan. The 2 wings should be fine on puckouts as they are able to win ball which will be crucial, or break even even with Walshe and JJ or whoever they have on other wing, Joyce perhaps.... Id expect either Bergin or Dooley to start at full forward with maybe currams coming in off bench to bolster attack with 20 mins left. Its a pity his injury has held him back as him flying fit would be a massive option inside.....KK will most likely win but the closer it gets the better i feel we will do..... if the lads really have a cut and show no fear, then we are in with a shout......

[Conrad]

9 Senior clubs represented on the starting team. 1 Birr man.. No Rynaghs, Lusmagh and Drumcullan representatives. Is hurling gone that bad that side of the county. God be with the days.

Best of Luck. Come on the Faithful!!

[Plain of the Herbs]

Alan Kelly of Rahoon-Newcastle and Galway.

Chap who thought Peter Kelly's attempted decapitation of Shane Dooley was all part of the game.

BTW whos the ref for the game