HALE REIGN AND SHOW BIG HEART
KILKENNY’S 10-time All-Ireland winner Henry Shefflin (below) guided his club Ballyhale Shamrocks to a record ninth AIB Leinster Club Championship crown in his first season as manager only to insist: ‘It’s not easy.’ Shefflin said he is still getting to grips with life on the sideline after a storied career, yesterday’s 16-point hammering of Ballyboden St Enda’s completing a clean sweep of junior, intermediate and senior club hurling titles for Kilkenny teams this weekend. ‘I’m learning the whole time. I’ve a great backroom team behind me. Look, we’ve a great club,’ he said. ‘We would have spoken about a bit of respect. Kilkenny hurling had hit a bit of a wobble the last couple of years so the junior and intermediate teams winning and the senior team winning is a good bonus for the lads,
hopefully it will be a sign of things to come for next year.’ For all that he won between the white lines, he admitted that management brings a different dynamic to it, with his Ballyhale Shamrocks side winning a Kilkenny county Championship against the head in the eyes of many. He said the idea of bringing his club to a provincial title never entered his mind when he took on his first management role. ‘It is a different feeling. It is satisfaction more than anything else. It was relief as a player. ‘I didn’t think we would be here and I never thought about it until after the county final, to be honest. ‘We were thrilled that we won that and it was our sole focus. ‘Things have gelled nicely for us and it’s just been one of those years when things have just gone well. ‘We’ve had no injuries. Robbie Lodge has done a great job on the physio.’ Shefflin added: ‘It’s unheard of really with all the matches and for the likes of Mick [Fennelly] and TJ [Reid] to still be fit on December 1.’ Those two were at the heart of yesterday’s triumph, with Ballyhale simply outclassing their Dublin opponents with a devastating second-half display that sets up an All-Ireland semi-final against Munster champions Ballygunner on February 9.